DUKE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
DURHAM,  N.  C. 


Rec’d. 

IJaaul  1UUL&l_ 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


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CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 

IN  ALL  ITS  IMPORTANT  BEARINGS 


ILLUSTRATED  AND  DEFENDED 
BY 

ADIN  BALLOU 


Whoso  readeth  let  him  understand 

SECOND  EDITION 


ALSO 

AN  APPENDIX— In  Two  Parts 

By  WILLIAM  S.  HEYWOOD 

1 . Biographical  Sketch  of  the  Author 

2.  The  Higher  Patriotism 


UNIVERSAL  PEACE  UNION 
PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


1910 


CONTENTS 


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CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I.— EXPLANATORY  DEFINITIONS. 


Different  kinds  of  Non-Resistance 1 

The  term  Non-Resistance 2 

The  term  Force,  etc 5 

The  term  Injury 7 

The  term  Christian  Non-resistance 12 

The  key  text  of  Non-resistance 13 

Necessary  applications  of  Non-resistance 16 

What  a Christian  Non-resistant  cannot  consistently  do.  19 
The  principle  and  sub-principle  of  Non-resistance....  20 
The  conclusion  25 

CHAPTER  II.— SCRIPTURAL  PROOFS. 

Matthew  5:  38 — 41,  a proof  text 26 

Evasive  constructions  of  the  text 28 

Evasion  first  29 

Evasion  second  30 

Evasion  third  31 

Evasion  fourth  32 

Evasion  fifth  33 

Evasion  sixth  34 

Evasion  final  34 

Reason  for  noticing  all  these  evasions 37 

Second  proof,  Matt.  5:43 — 48 38 

Third  proof — forgiveness  42 

Further  important  proofs. 45 

Apostolic  testimonies  48 

General  view  of  the  evidence 51 

The  primitive  Christians 54 

Testimony  of  Celsus  and  Gibbon 56 


IV 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  III.— SCRIPTURAL  OBJECTIONS 
ANSWERED. 

Objection  I. — You  throw  away  the  Old  Testament...  58 

Voice  of  the  New  Testament 60 

Voice  of  the  Old  Testament 65 

Objection  II. — The  scourge  of  small  cords 69 

Answer  69 

Objection  III. — The  two  swords 73 

Answer 73 

Objection  IV. — The  death  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira..  74 

Answer 75 

Objection  V. — Human  Government — 13th  of  Romans. 

&c 76 

Answer  ; 77 

How  the  Apostles  viewed  the  then  existing  Govern- 
ments   79 

Submission  to,  not  participation  in.  Government  en- 
joined on  Christians 81 

In  what  sense  “the  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God.  82 

Pharaoh  God’s  minister 83 

The  Monarch  of  Assyria  God's  minister 84 

Nebuchadnezzar  God's  minister 85 

The  Roman  Government 86 

Respects  wherein  Government  is  ordained  of  God 87 

Paul’s  conduct  in  relation  to  Government 90 

Conclusion  96 

CHAPTER  IV.— NON-RESISTANCE  NOT  CON- 
TRARY TO  NATURE. 

Nature  and  the  laws  of  nature  defined 98 

Self-preservation  the  first  law  of  nature 101 

What  is  the  true  method  of  self-preservation 101 

A demurrer  of  the  objector 104 

The  objector  still  persists — Analogy  of  the  animals..  106 
Common  method  of  self-preservation  certainly  false..  107 

Live  great  laws  of  human  nature  considered 108 

These  laws  radically  harmonious Ill 

Non-resistance  in  perfect  unison  with  these  laws 113 


CONTENTS 


v 


A law  of  universal  nature.  Like  begets  its  like 115 

General  illustrations  in  common  life 117 

Subdued  pride  and  scorn .•  . 121 

The  man  whose  temper  was  broken 122 

Colored  woman  and  the  sailor 125 

The  haymakers  125 

The  two  students 126 

Two  neighbors  and  the  manure 127 

Impounding  the  horse . 128 

Two  neighbors  and  the  hens 128 

Henry  and  Albert 130 

The  subdued  hatter 131 

The  revolutionary  soldier 132 

Ex-President  Jefferson  and  the  cooper’s  shop 134 

William  Ladd  and  neighbor  Pulsifer 135 

Conclusion  137 

CHAPTER  V.— THE  SAFETY  OF  NON-RESISTANCE. 

Raymond  the  traveller 140 

Agent  of  the  Bible  Society  in  Texas 141 

The  young  man  near  Philadelphia 142 

Robert  Barclay  and  Leonard  Fell 142 

Archbishop  Sharpe  144 

Rowland  Hill  144 

Two  methodist  Non-resistants 146 

The  two  New  Zealand  chiefs 148 

The  missionary  and  Arabs 148 

A Christian  tribe  in  Africa 150 

The  Moravian  Indians 151 

The  Moravians  of  Grace  Hill 152 

The  Shakers  153 

The  Indians  and  the  Quaker  family 153 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Loochoo  Islands 154 

The  Indians  and  the  Quaker  meeting 155 

The  Christian  town  in  the  Tyrol 156 

Capt.  Back — The  Quakers— The  Malays 159 

Jonathan  Dymond — Colony  of  Pennsylvania 165 

The  colony  of  Pennsylvania 169 


VI 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  VI.— GENERAL  OBJECTIONS 
ANSWERED. 

Objection  I. — Impracticable  till  the  millennium 173 

Principles  of  the  millennium 177 

Objection  II. — Extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible..  180 

Passage  of  the  Traun 183 

Objection  III. — More  difficult  in  small  than  large  mat- 
ters   188 

Answer  189 

The  profane  swearer  reproved  and  subdued 191 

The  Christian  slave  and  his  enemy 192 

How  to  overcome  evil 193 

Henry  C.  Wright  and  his  assailant 195 

The  victorious  little  boy 196 

Colony  of  practical  Christians 197 

The  avenger  stayed 201 

Conclusion  206 

CHAPTER  VIE— NON-RESISTANCE  IN  RELATION 
TO  GOVERNMENT. 

Is  Non-resistance  for  or  against  human  government?..  209 

Human  government  de  facto 212 

Objection  212 

Answer  213 

Extract  from  the  Constitution  of  Massachusetts 213 

Extracts  from  the  U.  S.  Constitution 214 

Why  net  participate  in  order  to  reform? 215 

Cannot  lie  and  commit  perjury 217 

Delegated  power  to  declare  war 218 

Letters  of  marque  and  reprisal  piracy.. 219 

Legal  and  political  action 220 

How  to  reform  government 222 

Injurious  force  not  essential  to  government 226 

Under  what  circumstance's  the  country  might  have  a 

Non-resistant  government  2 27 

View  of  present  order  of  things  and  remedies 229 

Extract  from  M.  Guizot’s  lectures 233 

Conclusion  235 

APPENDIX. 

1.  Biographical  Sketch  of  the  Author 238 

2.  The  Higher  Patriotism 246 


INTRODUCTION 


vii 


INTRODUCTION. 

By  William  S.  Heywood. 

The  Treatise  upon  Christian  non-resistance,  which 
is  reproduced  on  the  following  pages,  constituting 
the  more  essential  part  of  the  present  volume,  was 
first  published  in  the  year  1846,  more  than  half  a 
century  ago.  It  was  at  a time  when  a great  wave 
of  philanthropic  thought  and  feeling  seemed  to  be 
sweeping  over  the  land  and  world,  especially  over 
the  so-called  Christian  world,  recasting  and  to  some 
extent  displacing  previously  existing  conceptions  of 
truth  and  duty,  by  bringing  more  distinctly  to  view 
the  practical  and  humanitary  features  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ,  relegating  to  a subordinate  place  those 
of  a merely  speculative  and  dogmatic  character  so 
long  dominant  in  the  church,  and  demanding  that 
the  principles  and  spirit  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  lie 
uncompromisingly  applied  to  human  life  in  all  its 
multiform  phases,  manifestations  and  relations — not 
only  to  private  but  to  public  concerns — to  concerns 
affecting  alike  personal  character  and  conduct  and 
also  the  character  and  conduct  of  communities, 
neighborhoods,  townships,  States  and  nations,  both 
in  regard  to  forms  of  organization  and  modes  of 
administration — to  their  attitude  toward  and  treat- 
ment of  each  other  under  all  possible  conditions  and 
circumstances. 

The  work  was  received  with  heartfelt  approval 
and  gratification  by  some  of  the  foremost  philan- 


INTRODUCTION 


viii 

thropists  and  radical  reformers  of  both  this  country 
and  England,  as  expressed  in  numerous  personal 
letters  to  the  author  and  through  the  medium  of 
the  public  press,  and,  when  occasion  permitted,  was 
commended  by  them  to  the  attention  and  favorable 
judgment  of  all  lovers  of  truth  and  humanity  whom 
their  testimonies  might  reach.  Mr.  Garrison,  the 
distinguished  leader  of  the  Anti-Slavery  movement 
in  the  United  States,  gave  it  most  earnest  greet- 
ing, at  the  outset,  in  the  columns  of  his  paper,  The 
Liberator,  as  a brief  extract  from  his  pen  will  show : 
“We  hail  the  appearance  of  this  work  with  great 
satisfaction.  It  treats  of  a subject  more  vital  per- 
haps than  any  other  that  ever  challenged  the  atten- 
tion of  mankind — vital  to  human  safety,  vital  to 
the  attainment  and  establishment  of  true  liberty, 
vital  to  the  prosperity  of  nations,  vital  to  the  re- 
conciliation of  a hostile  world:  a subject,  too,  gross- 
ly misapprehended  by  some,  maliciously  misrepre- 
sented by  others,  and  clearly  understood  by  very 
few.  It  is  such  a work  as  we  have  long  desired 
to  see,  and  from  the  pen  of  one  who  is,  in  all  re- 
spects, qualified  to  undertake  it  and  carry  it  through 
in  the  best  manner. 

“We  have  no  desire  to  deal  in  laudation,  but  sim- 
ply to  express  our  conviction  of  the  value  of  the 
work  and  of  the  competency  of  Adin  Ballou  to 
state,  illustrate  and  defend  the  great  doctrine  it 
inculcates.  With  a mind  strictly  logical,  and  a 
spirit  deeply  imbued  with  gentleness  and  peace — 
aided  by  rare  good  sense,  great  self-possession  and 
a resolute  dispositon  to  be  in  the  right — for  right’s 


INTRODUCTION 


IX 


sake,  he  brings  to  his  task  the  best  qualities  of  both 
head  and  heart. 

“The  work  is  soberly  and  frankly  addressed  to 
the  reason,  conscience  and  higher  sentiments  of 
mankind — not  to  their  propensities,  passions  and 
carnal  ambitions  and  desires.  In  the  circulation 
of  this  little  volume  the  friends  of  Peace  shotdd 
take  a lively  interest.  At  this  particular  crisis, 
when  the  spirit  of  war  and  violence  is  so  madly 
raging  in  the  land,  its  distribution,  as  far  and  wide 
as  possible,  is  most  earnestly  to  be  desired.” 

The  book  very  soon  arrested  the  attention  and 
won  the  approbation  of  the  more  active  friends  of 
humanity  in  Great  Britain,  and  two  years  later,  in 
1848,  two  widely  known  philanthropists  of  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland,  caused  it  to  be  republished  for 
special  circulation  in  the  United  Kingdom.  The 
English  edition  was  a verbatim  reprint  of  the  orig- 
inal, with  the  exception  of  portions  of  two  chapters 
relating  to  local  political  affairs,  but  which  were 
without  pertinency  or  force  under  a system  of  gov- 
ernment differing  from  that  of  the  United  States. 
The  parties  responsible  for  the  re-publication  of 
the  book  beyond  the  sea  commended  it  to  the  fa- 
vorable attention  of  its  readers  in  the  following 
language:  “We  have  been  impressed  with  the 
excellence  of  the  matter  contained  in  the  work,  and 
with  the  sound  Scriptural  arguments  of  the  talented 
author  on  the  highly  important  question  discussed 
by  him ; and  we  trust  that  the  present  edition  will 
be  generally  acceptable  to  the  friends  of  the  Peace 
Cause.  We  have  carefully  perused  the  volume,  and, 
having  weighed  the  sentiments  which  it  contains, 


X 


INTRODUCTION 


desire  to  express  our  firm  conviction  that  they  are 
entirely  in  accordance  with  pure  Christianity,  evi- 
dently proceeding  from  a mind  richly  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  love  to  God  and  man,  desirous  of  pro- 
moting the  advancement  of  the  Redeemer’s  king- 
dom on  the  earth.” 

In  the  sincere  belief,  shared  by  a considerable 
number  of  the  friends  of  universal  peace,  that  the 
importance  of  the  exposition  of  the  doctrine  of 
Christian  non-resistance  given  by  Adin  Ballou  in 
the  work  under  notice,  is  not  over-estimated  by  the 
writers  of  the  foregoing  paragraphs,  and  that  the 
work  has  in  no  proper  sense  “outlived  its  useful- 
ness” ; a new  edition  is  now  offered  to  the  gen- 
eral public  and  urged  upon  the  thoughtful  and  con- 
scientious consideration  of  all  well-wishers  of  their 
kind,  with  the  well-assured  conviction  and  most 
ardent  hope  that,  by  setting  forth  most  clearly  and 
uncompromisingly  the  essential  barbarism  and 
iniquity,  not  only  of  the  great  war  system  of  the 
world  and  the  death-dealing  exploits  of  the  battle- 
field, but  of  all  forms  of  injurious  and  brutal  force, 
under  whatever  pretext  called  into  exercise  between 
man  and  man,  it  will  contribute  much  to  the  growth 
of  that  public  sentiment  which  seems  to  be  tend- 
ing in  the  right  direction,  promising,  as  it  does, 
to  rise  at  an  early  day  into  an  imperative  demand 
for  the  entire  abolition  of  war  and  of  all  the  arma- 
ments and  preparations  for  war  of  every  kind  and 
name,  and  prove  to  be,  henceforth,  as  hitherto,  an 
efficient  instrumentality  in  promoting  “Peace  on 
earth  and  good  will  among  men” — a cause  most 
dear  to  its  author’s  heart,  to  the  advocacy  and  ad- 


INTRODUCTION 


xi 


vancement  of  which  he  devoted  much  of  his  thought, 
energy  and  time  during  a long,  active  and  eminent- 
ly useful  life. 

It  is  to  be  presumed  that  among  the  readers 
of  this  volume  there  will  be  many  who,  while  as- 
senting to  the  general  doctrine  which  it  inculcates 
and  admitting  the  principal  points  of  the  argument 
of  the  author  in  its  support,  will  yet  feel  unable 
to  agree  with  him  in  all  the  practical  applications 
which  he  makes  of  it ; especially  in  regard  to  polit- 
ical action  under  the  provisions  of  a constitution 
and  form  of  government  claiming  and  exercising 
from  time  to  time  the  power  and  the  right  to  de- 
clare war  and  carry  on  the  work  of  human 
slaughter;  failing  to  recognize  or  allow  that  the 
responsibility  involved  in  such  action  is  so  great 
and  so  inclusive  as  he  assumes  and  maintains  to 
be  the  case,  nevertheless,  it  has  been  deemed  wise 
and  just  to  the  author,  in  this  new  edition  of  his 
work,  to  reprint  the  original,  verbatim,  giving  his 
views  in  full  as  they  came  from  his  pen,  without 
excision  or  emendation,  leaving  the  reader  to  make 
such  qualifications  or  set  such  limitations,  in  the 
respects  indicated,  as  in  loyalty  to  his  own  highest 
conviction  of  truth  and  duty,  he  feels  bound  to  do. 

Supplementary  to  the  subject-matter  treated  in 
the  earlier  pages  of  this  work,  constituting  its  char- 
acteristic feature,  may  be  found  an  appendix,  in 
two  parts;  the  first  being  a “Biographical  sketch 
of  the  author,”  which  will  be  of  interest,  no  doubt, 
to' those  readers  otherwise  uninformed  in  regard  to 
his  earthly  life  and  the  manifold  labors  in  which 
he  was  engag-ed,  the  other  an  address  before  the 


INTRODUCTION 


xii 

Universal  Peace  Union  upon  a theme  concerning 
which  there  is  great  confusion  and  oftentimes  much 
question,  when  considered  in  connection  with  the 
practical  bearings  of  the  doctrines  of  Christian  non- 
resistance  ; the  purpose  of  the  address  being  to 
show  that  as  “there  are  victories  of  peace  no  less 
renowned  than  those  of  war,”  so  is  there  a patriot- 
ism disassociated  from  all  scenes  of  carnal  strife 
enacted  on  the  bloody,  death-inflicting  battlefield 
no  less  honorable  and  praiseworthy  than  that  thus 
associated,  as  is  so  often  the  case — a love  and  serv- 
ice of  one’s  country,  calculated  to  promote  and  se- 
cure, in  an  eminent  degree,  the  highest  prosperity, 
welfare,  happiness  and  truest  glory  of  a country; 
and  yet  strictly  accordant  with  the  principles  and 
sentiments  which  this  work  is  designed  to  expound, 
illustrate  and  apply  to  the  various  interests  and 
activities  of  human  life. 


PREFACE 


xiii 


PREFACE. 

Here  is  a little  book  in  illustration  and  defence 
of  a very  unpopular  doctrine.  The  author  believes 
it  to  be  as  ancient  as  Christianity,  and  as  true  as 
the  New  Testament.  But  it  is  a doctrine  little  un- 
derstood and  almost  everywhere  spoken  against. 
He  therefore  entreats  his  readers  to  divest  them- 
selves as  much  as  possible  of  prejudice,  and  patiently 
examine  what  he  has  here  written.  He  does  not 
expect  every  one  to  be  pleased  with  what  he  has 
presented  in  this  volume,  not  even  those  who  ap- 
prove of  it  as  a whole.  But  he  desires  friends  and 
opposers  to  be  candid,  just  and  generous;  to  treat 
the  work  as  they  would  have  one  of  their  own  (on 
any  important  subject)  treated.  He  wishes  no  per- 
sonal strain  of  panegyric  from  those  who  may  think 
well  of  his  Treatise.  Let  all  glory  be  given  to 
the  Supreme  Source  of  wisdom  and  goodness.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  hopes  that  those  who  may  think 
ill  of  it  will  be  manly  enough  not  to  condemn  it 
merely  on  account  of  its  authorship.  Let  it  be  ap- 
proved or  condemned  solely  on  its  own  intrinsic 
merits  or  demerits. 

It  is  soberly  and  frankly  addressed  to  the  reason, 
conscience  and  higher  sentiments  of  mankind — not 
to  their  propensities  and  lower  passions.  May  it 
be  read  and  responded  to  accordingly.  The  honest 
inquirer  will  ask:  Is  it  in  accordance  with  divine 


XIV 


PREPACK 


truth  and  righteousness?  Search  and  see.  Perhaps 
the  controversial  critic  will  look  for  its  errors,  fal- 
lacies, inconsistencies  and  assailable  points.  If  there 
are  any  such,  let  them  be  detected  and  exposed. 
This  ought  to  be  done ; but  let  those  who  undertake 
it  prove  themselves  workmen  that  need  not  be 
ashamed.  Let  them  be  sure  that  they  understand 
the  subject,  that  they  understand  precisely  what  is 
contended  for  in  this  work,  and  that  they  are  com- 
petent to  refute  its  fundamental  positions  by  good 
and  sufficient  arguments.  It  is  so  plain,  discriminat- 
ing and  unequivocal  in  the  style  of  its  statements 
and  reasonings,  that  serious  misapprehension  or 
misrepresentation  of  its  meaning  will  hardly  be  ex- 
cusable. It  does  not  court  controversy,  but  if  sub- 
jected to  it  will  be  entitled  to  fair  and  honorable 
treatment. 

It  is  a book  for  the  future  rather  than  the  present, 
and  will  be  better  appreciated  by  the  public  half  a 
century  hence  than  now.  But  a better  future  is 
even  now  dawning  and  it  is  needed  to  help  develop 
the  coming  age  of  love  and  peace.  A great  transi- 
tion of  the  human  mind  has  commenced  and  the 
reign  of  military  and  penal  violence  must  ultimate- 
ly give  place  to  that  of  forbearance,  forgiveness  and 
mercy.  Such  a work  as  this  will  meet  a deepfelt 
want  of  many  minds  scattered  up  and  down  Chris- 
tendom. So  strongly  was  the  author  persuaded  of 
this  fact  by  various  indications,  that  he  felt  impelled 
by  a sense  of  duty  to  prepare  this  Manual  as  a sup- 
ply for  that  want.  Providentially  the  worthy  friend, 
who  assumes  the  pecuniary  responsibility  of  its  pub- 
lication, generously  came  forward  to  facilitate  the 


PREFACE 


XV 


object,  and  thus  by  a concurrence  of  effort,  it  has 
made  its  appearance.  It  is  now  sent  forth  on  its 
mission  of  reconciliation.  The  author  feels  a com- 
fortable assurance  that  the  blessing  of  the  Most 
High  God  will  accompany  it  wherever  it  goes,  that 
it  will  diffuse  light  among  many  that  sit  in  darkness 
and  promote  in  some  humble  degree  that  glorious 
regeneration  of  the  world  for  which  the  good  men 
of  all  ages  have  constantly  prayed  and  hoped. 

A.  B. 


Hopedale,  Mass.,  April,  1846. 


Engraved  1 y H.W.  Smith. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


CHAPTER  I. 

Explanatory  Definitions. 

Different  kinds  of  Non-Resistance — The  term  Non-Resis- 
tance-The  term  Force,  etc. — The  term  injury,  etc. —The 
term  Christian  Non-Resistance;  its  derivation— The  key 
text  of  Non-Resistance — Necessary  applications  of  Non. 
Resistance — What  a Christian  Non-Resistant  cannot  con- 
sistently do — The  principle  and  sub-principle  of  Non-Re- 
sistance— The  conclusion. 

DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  NON-RESISTANCE. 

What  is  Christian  Non  Resistance  ! It  is  that  orig- 
inal, peculiar  kind  of  non-resistance,  which  was  en 
joined  and  exemplified  by  Jesus  Christ,  according  to 
the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament.  Are  there 
other  kinds  of  non-resistance  t Yes.  1.  Philosoph- 
ical non-resistance  of  various  hue;  which  sets  at 
nought  divine  revelation,  disregards  the  authority  of 
Jesus  Christ  as  a divine  teacher,  excludes  all  strictly 
religious  considerations,  and  deduces  its  conclusions 
from  the  light  of  nature,  the  supposed  fitness  of 
things  and  the  expediency  of  consequences.  2.  Sen- 
timental non-resistance,  also  of  various  hue;  which  is 


2 


CHRISTIAN  NON- RESISTANCE. 


held  to  be  the  spontaneous  dictate  of  man’s  higher 
sentiments  in  the  advanced  stages  of  his  development, 
transcending  all  special  divine  revelations,  positive 
instructions,  ratiocination  and  considerations  of  ex- 
pediency. '3.  Necessitous  non-resistance,  commonly 
expressed  in  the  phrase,  “passive  obedience  and  non- 
resistance,”  imperiously  preached  by  despots  to  their 
subjects,  as  their  indispensable  duty  and  highest  vir- 
tue; also  recommended  by  worldly  prudence  to  the 
victims  of  oppression  when  unable  to  offer  successful 
resistance  to  their  iujurers.  With  this  last  mentioned 
kind  Christian  non-resistance  has  nothing  in  com- 
mon. With  philosophical  and  sentimental  non  resis- 
tance it  holds  much  in  common;  being,  in  fact,  the  di- 
vine original  of  which  they  are  human  adulterations, 
and  embracing  all  the  good  of  both  without  the  evils 
of  either.  This  treatise  is  an  illustration  and  defence 
of  Christian  non-resistance,  properly  so  designated. 

THE  TERM  NON  -RESISTANCE. 

The  term  non-resistance  itself  next  demands  atten- 
tion. It  requires  very  considerable  qualifications.  I 
use  it  as  applicable  only  to  the  conduct  of  human  be- 
ings towards  human  beings — not  towards  the  inferior 
animals,  inanimate  things,  or  Satanic  influences.  If 
an  opponent,  ^willing  to  make  me  appear  ridiculous, 
should  say — “You  are  a non-resistant,  and  therefore 
must  be  passive  to  all  assailing  beings,  things  and  in- 
fluences, Up  satan,  man,  beast,  bird,  serpent,  insect, 
rocks,  timbers,  fires,  floods, heat,  cold  and  storm,”  — 
I should  answer,  not  so;  my  i on  resistance  relates 
solely  to  conduct  between  human  beings.  This  is  an 
important  limitation  of  the  term.  But  I go  further, 
and  disclaim  using  the  term  to  express  absolute passiv- 


CHRISTIAN  NON- RESISTANCE. 


3 


ity,  even  towards  human  beings.  I claim  the  right 
to  offer  the  utmost  moral  resistance,  not  sinful,  of 
which  God  has  made  me  capable,  to  every  manifesta- 
tion of  evil  among  mankind.  Nay,  I hold  it  my  duty 
to  offer  such,  moral  resistance.  In  this  sense  my  very 
non-resistance  becomes  the  highest  kind  of  resistance 
to  evil.  This  is  another  important  qualification  of 
the  term.  Bid  I do  not  stop  here.  There  is  an  uniu- 
jurious,  benevolent  physical  force.  There  are  cases  in 
which  it  would  not  only  be  allowable,  but  in  the  high- 
est degree  commendable,  to  restrain  human  beings  by 
this  kind  of  force.  Thus,  maniacs,  the  insane, the  de- 

lirious sick,  ill  uatured  children,  the  intellectually  or 
morally  non-compos  mentis,  the  intoxicated  and  the 
violently  passionate, are  frequently  disposed  to  perpe- 
trate outrages  and  indict  injuries,  either  on  them- 
selves or  others,  which  ought  to  be  kindly  and  unin- 
juriously  prevented  by  the  muscular  energy  of  their 
friends.  And  in  cases  where  deadly  violence  is  in- 
dicted with  deliberation  and  malice  aforethought,  one 
may  nobly  throw  his  body  as  a temporary  barrier  be- 
tween the  destroyer  and  his  helpless  victim,  choosing 
to  die  in  that"position,  rather  than  be  a passive  spec- 
tator. Thus  another  most  important  qualification  is 
given  to  the  term  non-resistance.  It  is  not  non-resis- 
tance to  animals  and  inanimate  things,  nor  to  satan, 
but  only  to  human  beings.  Nor  is  i?  moral  non  resis- 
tance to  human  beings,  but  chiefly  physical.  Nor  is 
it  physical  non-resistance  to  all  human  beings,  under 
all  circumstances,  but  only  so  far  as  to  abstain  totally 
from  the  infliction  of  personal  injury,  as  a means  of 
resistance  .“jit  is  simply  non-resistance  of  injury  with 
injury— evil  with  evil. 

Will  the  opposer  exclaim — “This  is  no  non-resist- 


4 


Oil R ISTI AN  NON-RESISTANCE . 


ance  at  all;  the  term  is  mischoseu  !”  I answer.  >So 
said  the  old  opposers  of  the  Temperance  Reformation, 
respecting  the  term  £<total  abstinence.”  They  began 
by  insisting  that  the  term  must  be  taken  unqualifiedly, 
and  pronounced  total  abstinence  an  absurdity.  It 
was  replied — “we  limit  its  application  to  the  use  of 
ardent  spirits  and  intoxicating  liquors.”  “Then 
you  exclude  these  substances  from  the  arts  and  from 
external  applications,  do  you?”  rejoined  the  opposers. 
££No,  ” replied  the  advocates  of  the  cause,  “ we  mean 
total  abstinence  from  the  internal  use — the  drinking  ot 
those  liquors.”  “ But  are  they  not  sometimes  neces- 
sary for  medical  purposes  ?”  said  the  opposers,  “and 
then  may  they  not  be  taken  internally?’  ’ “Certainly, 
with  proper  precautions,  was  the  reply;  we  mean 
by  total  abstinence,  precisely  this  and  no  more — the 
entire  disuse  of  all  ardent  spirits  and  intoxicating 
liquors,  as  a beverage.  ’ f ‘ ‘That, ’ ’ exclai med  the  ob  - 

jectors,  (despairing  of  a reductio  ad  absurdam ,)  “ is 
no  total  abstinence  at  all;  the  term  is  mischoseu  ! 
Nevertheless,  it  was  a most  significant  term.  It  had 
in  it  an  almost  talismanic  power.  It  expressed 
better  than  any  other  just  what  was  meant,  and 
wrought  a prodigious  change  in  public  opinion  and 
practice.  The  term  non-resistance  is  equally  signifi- 
cant and  talismanic.  It  signifies  total  absinence 
from  all  resistance  of  injury  with  injury.  It  is  thus 
far  non-resistance — no  farther. 

The  almost  universal  opinion  and  practice  of  man- 
kind has  been  on  the  side  of  resistance  of  injury  with 
injury.  It  has  been  held  justifiable  and  necessary,  for 
individuals  and  nations  to  inflict  any  amount  of  injury 
which  would  effectually  resist  a supposed  greater  in- 
jury. The  consequence  has  been  universal  suspicion, 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


5 


defiance,  armament,  violence,  torture  and  bloodshed. 
The  earth  has  been  rendered  a vast  slaughter- field — a 
theatre  of  reciprocal  cruelty  and  vengeance — strewn 
with  human  skulls,  reeking  with  human  blood,  re- 
sounding with  human  groans,  and  steeped  with  hu- 
man tears.  Men  have  become  drunk  with  mutual  re- 
venge; and  they  who  could  inflict  the  greatest  amount 
of  injury,  in  pretended  defence  of  life,  honor,  rights, 
property,  institutions  and  laws,  have  been  idolized  as 
the  heroes  and  rightful  sovereigns  of  the  world.  Non- 
resistance  explodes  this  horrible  delusion;  announces 
the  impossibility  of  overcoming  evil  with  evil;  and, 
making  its  appeal  directly  to  all  the  injured  of  the  hu- 
man race,  enjoins  on  them,  in  the  name  of  God,  never 
more  to  resist  injury  with  injury;  assuring  them  that 
by  adhering  to  the  law  of  love  under  all  provocations, 
aud  scrupulously  suffering  wrong  rather  than  inflict- 
ing it,  they  shall  gloriously  “overcome  evil  with 
good,”  and  exterminate  all  their  enemies  by  turn- 
ing them  into  faithful  friends. 

THE  TERM  FORCE,  ETC. 

Having  thus  qualified  and  defined  the  term  non- 
resistance,  it  would  seem  proper  to  do  the  same  with 
several  others,  frequently  made  use  of  in  tlie  discus- 
sion of  our  general  subject.  On§  of  these  terms  is 
force.  Non-resistants,  like  others,  have  been  in  the- 
habit  of  using  this, and  similar  terms  too  loosely;  there- 
by giving  needless  occasion  for  misunderstanding,  on 
the  part  of  the  uninformed,  and  misrepresentation  on 
the  part  of  interested  opposers.  The  word  force,  is 
thus  defined  by  Walker,  “strength,  vigor,  might, 
violence,  virtue,  efficacy,  validness,  power  of  law, 
armament,  warlike  preparations,  destiny,  necessity, 


6 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


fatal  compulsion.”  Now  it'  we  should  use  tlie  word 
force,  as  the  contrary  of  non-resistance,  without  any 
qualification,  the  idea  would  be  conveyed  that  non- 
resistance  was  identical  with  absolute  passivity,  and 
that  it  necessarily  excluded  all  kinds  and  degrees  of 
force,  under  all  circumstances  whatsoever.  The  gen- 
eric meaning  of  the  term  force,  is  ‘ -Strength,  vigor, 
might,”  whether  physical  or  moral.  Thus  we  may 
speak  of  the  force  of  love,  the  force  of  truth,  the 
force  of  public  opinion,  the  force  of  moral  suasion, 
the  force  of  non  resistance.  Or  we  may  speak  of 
the  force  of  gravitation,  the  force  of  cohesion  the 
force  of  repulsion,  &c.  Or  in  relation  to  the  mus- 
cular force  of  human  beings,  we  may  speak  of  benev- 
olent force,  kind  force,  uninjurious  force;  meaning 
thereby,  various  applications  of  muscular  strength  for 
the  purpose  of  preventing  human  beings  committing 
on  themselves  or  others  some  injury;  in  which  pre- 
vention no  personal  injury  is  inflicted,  but  real  kind- 
ness and.  benefit  done  to  all  parties  concerned.  As 
non  resistance  is  not  identical  with  absolute  passivity 
but-  allows,  implies  and  requires  various  kinds  and 
degrees  of  moral  and  physical  “strength,”  according 
to  circumstances,  the  term  force  must  not  be  used  as 
its  converse  unless  it  be  with  such  qualifications,  or 
in  such  a connection,  as  will  give  it  some  one  of  its  con- 
ventional significations,  so  that  it  shall  mean  violence, 
warlike  force,  positive  vengeance,  destructive  force 
— in  fine,  injurious  force.  Injurious  force  of  all 
kinds  and  degrees,  between  human  beings,  is  incom- 
patible with  non  -resistance.  Such  are  the  qualifications 
with  which  the  term  force  will  be  used  in  this  work. 

The  term  moral  force  will  be  understood  from  the 
preceding  remarks,  as  synonymous  with  moral  power 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


7 


— tlie  effective  influence  of  moral  “strength,  vigor, 
might.”  Physical  force,  as  distinguished  from  moral 
force,  is  a term  used  to  express  the  idea  of.  material 
force,  the  action  of  one  body  on  another,  compelling 
the  weaker  to  yield  to  the  stronger  by  mere  animal 
strength  or  mechanical  power.  As  moral  force  may 
be  either  good  or  evil,  injurious  or  uninjurious,  ac- 
cording to  its  kind,  its  object,  its  spirit,  or  its  man- 
ner of  application;  so  may  physical  force  be  good  or 
evil,  injurious  or  uninjurious,  according  to  the  same 
considerations.  When  a licentious  man  corrupts  the 
mind  of  an  innocent  youth  by  bad  examples,  bad 
counsel,  bad  maxims,  and  other  evil  influences,  in 
which  there  is  no  physical  force,  he  exerts  a most  in- 
jurious moral  force.  He  demoralizes  the  principles 
and  habits  of  one,  whom  he  ought  to  encourage  and 
confirm  in  virtue.  When  a good  mau  converts  a sin- 
ner from  the  error  of  his  ways,  by  good  examples, 
counsels,  maxims  and  other  purifying  influences,  he 
exerts  a most  beneficent  and  salutary  moral  force.  So 
when  a mau  by  physical  force  destroys  or  impairs  the 
life,  intellect,  moral  sentiment,  or  absolute  welfare  of 
a human  being, he  uses  an  injurious  physical  force. 
But  in  restraining  a madman  from  outrage,  or  holding 
a delirious  sick  person  on  the  bed,  or  compelling  an 
ill-natured  child  to  desist  from  tearing  out  the  hair  of 
a weaker  brother,  or  interposing  his  body  and  mus- 
cular strength  to  prevent  rape,  or  any  similar  act, 
wherein  he  does  no  one  a real  injury,  while  he  renders 
to  some  or  all  the  parties  concerned  a real  benefit,  he 
uses  a rightful,  uninjurious,  physical  force. 

THE  TERM  INJURY. 

* 

I use  this  term  in  a somewhat  peculiar  sense,  to  sig.- 


8 


CHRISTIAN  N ON  -RESISTANCE . 


mfy  any  moral  influence  or  physical  force  exerted  by 
one  human  being  upon  another,  the  legitimate  effect 
of  which  is  to  destroy  or  impair  life,  to  destroy  or  im- 
pair the  physical  faculties, to  destroy  or  impair  the  in- 
tellectual powers,  to  destroy,  impair  or  pervert  the 
moral  and  religious  sentiment,  or  to  destroy  or  impair 
the  absolute  welfare,  all  things  considered,  of  the  per- 
son on  whom  such  influence  or  force  is  exerted, 
whether  that  person  be  innocent  or  guilty,  harmless, 
or  offensive,  injurious  or  uninjurious,  sane  or  insane, 
compos  mentis  or  non- compos,  adult  or  infant.  Some 
of  the  lexicographers  define  an  “injury”  to  be  “hurt, 
harm  or  mischief, unjustly  done  to  a person;”  thereby 
implying  that  any  hurt,  harm  or  mischief  done  to  one 
who  deserves  nothing  better,  or  can  be  considered  as 
justly  liable  to  it,  is  no  injury  at  all.  I reject  entirely 
every  such  qualification  of  tne  term.  I hold  an  injury 
to  be  an  injury,  whether  deserved  or  undeserved,  wheth- 
er intended  or  unintended,  whether  well  meant  or  ill 
meant,  determining  the  fact  in  accordance  with  the 
foregoing  definition.  But,  says  the  inquirer—  “ what 
if  it  can  be  proved  justifiable,  by  the  law  of  God,  to 
inflict  personal  injury  in  certain  cases  on  the  offensive 
and  guilty  ? ” Then,  of  course,  it  will  be  proved  that 
non-resistance  is  a false  doctrine.  “ What  if  it  can  be 
proved  that  the  infliction  of  small  injuries  may  pre- 
vent much  greater  evils?”  Then  it  will  be  proved 
that  we  may  do  evil  that  good  may  come,  which  will 
forever  keep  the  world  just  where  it  is.  “ What  if  it 
can  be  mown  that  the  person  who  inflicts  an  injury 
honestly  intended  it  for  a benefit  l”  That  will  only 
prove  him  honestly  mistaken,  and  so  undeserving  of 
blame.  “ What  if  a man  inflicts  death  or  any  other 
injury,  according  to  established  human  laws,  but  dees 


C'H  R 1ST  TAN  NON- EESI  STANCE . 


y 


it  without  malice,  or  revenue,  or  any  malevolent  in- 
tent!” Then  he  does  an  anti-Christian  act,  without 
conscience  as  to  its  real  nature.  The  act  must  be  con- 
demned; he  must  be  credited  for  his  motives;  due  allow  - 
ante  must  be  made  for  his  misapprehension  of  duty; 
and  light  poured  into  his  mind  to  superinduce  a bet- 
ter conscience,  that  he  may  be  brought  to  act  the 
Christian  part.  But  in  no  case  must  we  lose  sight  of 
the  inquiry,  whether  an  injury  has  been  done.  And  in 
determining  this,  we  must  not  ask  whether  the  recip- 
ient were  guilty  or  innocent,  whether  the  thing  done 
were  well  or  ill  intended,  whether  it  were  done  in  a 
right  or  a wrong  spirit.  If  it  be  in  fact  an  injury,  it  is 
contrary  to  the  doctrine  of  Christian  non-resistance; 
and  no  person  knowing  it  to  be  such  can  repeat  it  un- 
der any  pretest  whatsoever,  without  violating  the  law 
of  God.  This  is  the  sense  and  signification  of  the 
terms  injury,  injurer,  injurious, &c.,  as  used  in  these 
pages.  'The  objector  may  here  interpose  critical 
queries,  with  a view  to  test  the  soundness  of  my  defi- 
nition. He  may  suppose  that  a man’s  leg,  hand  or 
eye,  is  so  diseased  as  to  require  amputation  in  order 
to  save  his  life.  But  such  member  is  one  of  his  phy- 
sical faculties,  which  must  not  be  destroyed  or  im- 
paired, because  that  would  be  an  injury.  I answer. 
The  diseased  member  is  already  lost.  The  question 
is  not  whether  the  friendly  surgeon  shall  destroy  or 
impair  it;  but  only  whether  he  shall  amputate  it,  in 
order  to  preserve  the  life  and  remaining  faculties.  No 
injury,  but  an  absolute  benefit  is  proposed.  This  case 
is  clear.  But  suppose  the  minister  of  the  law  is  or- 
dered to  amputate  a sound  leg,  hand  or  eye,  as  a pun- 
ishment, or  for  an  example  to  deter  others  from  the 
commission  of  crime.  This  is  absolute  injury,  done 


10 


CHRISTIAN-  NON- RESIST  A NC  E . 


under  good  pretexts  indeed,  but  on  that  account  none 
the  less  an  injury.  Again,  a child  dangerously  sick  re- 
quires some  medical  application,  very  disagreeable, 
yet  indispensable  to  his  recovery,  which  can  only  be 
applied  by  physical  force.  Or  an  insane  adult  is  in 
the  same  circumstances.  Or  a person  infected  with 
hydrophobia,  and  subject  to  terrible  paroxysms  of  the 
disease,  needs  to  be  confined;  and  yet  for  want  of 
judgment,  even  in  his  intervals,  refuses  to  be.  Or  a 
man  subject  to  violent  impulses  of  propensity  or  pas- 
sion, renderi  ng  him  dangerous  to  all  around  him  when 
excited,  needs  to  be  excluded  from  general  society,  or 
otherwise  watched  and  restrained  by  keepers  in  order 
to  prevent  serious  mischief  to  others;  and  yet  he  re- 
sents and  resists  all  entreaties  to  submit  to  such  re- 
striction. Or  a wicked  man  is  exceedingly  alarmed 
disturbed  and  offended  by  a truthful  exposure  of  his 
iniquitous  proceedings,  or  by  the  faithful  remon- 
strances and  rebukes  of  some  good  man.  Now  in  all 
such  cases  the  will  must  be  crossed,  the  personal  free- 
dom abridged,  and  the  feelings  pained.  Must  it  not 
be  an  injury  to  coerce,  restrain,  expose  and  reprove 
such  persons,  however  necessary  to  tliMy  and  the  pub- 
lic good,  and  however  kindly  executed?  Is  it  not  gen- 
erally more  intolerable  to  be  crossed  in  one’s  will, and 
wounded  in  one’s  feelings,  than  to  be  beaten,  maimed 
and  otherwise  maltreated  ? Answer.  It  is  not  man’s 
imaginations,  thoughts  and  feelings,  that  determine 
what  is  or  is  not  injurious  to  him.  Love  itself  may 
“heap  coals  of  fire  on  a man’s  head.  ” Truth  may 
torment  his  mind.  The  most  benevolent  restraint 
may  be  painful  to  his  feelings.  He  may  be  made,  for 
a while,  quite  unhappy  by  crossing  his  evil  will.  He 
may  prefer  to  be  smitten  and  mutilated,  rather  than 


CHRISTIAN  NON-  R ESIST  ANCE . 


11 


be  exposed  in  his  secret  iniquities,  or  endure  the  faith- 
ful reproof  of  the  upright.  Such  persons  often  prefer 
an  injury  to  a benefit.  They  are  not.  for  the  time  be- 
ing, in  a state  of  mind  to  understand  and  choose  what 
is  best  for  them.  Therefore  their  wills,  feeliugs  and 
opinions  are  not  the  indices  of  their  own  good — much 
less  that  of  others.  Is  it  good  for  a capricious, obstiu- 
ate'child  to  be  indulged  in  opposing  a necessary  medi- 
cal application  ? Is  it  good  for  an  insane  or  delirious, 
sick  adult  to  have  his  own  will,  even  to  the  commis- 
sion of  murder  and  self-destruction  ? Is  it  good  for  a 
man  to  have  unlimited  freedom,  when  he  will  almost 
certainly  make  it  a curse  to  himself  and  others,  by 
gross  involuntary  outrage,  or  uncontrollable  passion? 
Is  it  good  for  a wicked  man,  under  specious  hypocriti- 
cal disguises,  to  perpetrate  the  most  atrocious  mis- 
chief, unexposed  and  unreproved  ? These  things  are 
not  good  for  mankind.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  good 
for  them  to  be  crossed,  restrained,  coerced  and  re- 
proved, by  all  uuinjurious  moral  and  physical  forces, 
which  benevolence  prompts  and  wisdom  dictates.  To 
■cross  their  wills,  and  pain  their  feelings,  by  such 
means, under  such  circumstances,  is  not  an  injury, but 
a substantial  good,  'to  them  and  to  all  who  are  con- 
nected with  them.  It  may  be  said—  “ these  things 
cannot  be  done  uu injuriously.  It  would  be  impractic- 
able. ” Cannot  unreasonable  children  be  nursed,  de- 
lirious adults  controlled,  dangerously  distempered 
people  prevented  from  doing  themselves  and  others 
harm,  outrageous  non- compos  persons  restrained,  hyp- 
ocrites exposed,  and  sinners  reproved  without  inflict- 
ing injury  on  them  ! Then  can  nothing  good  be  done 
without  doing  evil.  Imperfection  is  indeed  inciden- 
tal to  all  human  judgment  and  conduct;  and  therefore 


12 


CHRISTIAN  NOX-EESISTANCE. 


it  is  probable  that  some  mistakes  and  some  accidental; 
injuries  might  happen.  But  the  reason  and  common 
sense  of  mankind,  once  fairly  pledged  to  the  true 
principle  of  action,  would  seldom  fail  to  discharge  all 
these  duties  to  general  satisfaction.  Still  it  may  be 
asked:  “What  is  to  be  done  if  uniujurious  force  should 
prove  inadequate?  May  life  be  sacrificed,  limbs 
broken,  the  flesh  mangled,  or  any  other  injuries  al- 
lowed in  extreme  cases?”  Never.  The  principle  of 
non-injury  must  be  held  inviolable.  It  is  worth  worlds 
and  must  be  preserved  at  all  hazards.  What  cannot 
be  done  uninjuriously  must  be  left  undone.  But  these 
extreme  cases  are  mostly  imaginary.  The  truth  is, 
that  what  cannot  be  done  uninjuriously  can  scarcely 
ever  be  done  at  all.  Or  if  done,  had  better  have  been 
let  alone.  Experience  in  the  case  of  the  insane  has 
already  proved  that  incomparably  more  can  be  done 
by  uniujurious  forces,  scrupulously  and  judiciously 
employed, than  by  any  admixtures  of  the  injurious  ele- 
ment. Presuming  that  my  definition  and  use  of  the 
terms  injure,  injury,  iujurer,  injurious, &c.,  cannot  be 
misunderstood,  I pass  on. 

THE  TEEM  CHBISTIAN  NON-  RESISTANCE. 

Whence  originated  the  term  Christian  non-resistance? 
Non-resistance  comes  from  the  injunction,  “resist  not 
evil,”  Matt.  5:  39.  The  words  “resist  not,”  being 
changed  from  the  form  of  a verb  to  that  of  a substan- 
tive, give  us  non  resistance.  This  term  is  considered 
more  strikingly  significant  than  any  other  of  the  prin- 
ciple involved, and  the  duty  enjoined  in  our  Saviours 
precept.  Hence  its  adoption  and  established  use.  It 
is  denominated  Christian  non-resistance,  to  distin- 
guish it,  as  the  genuine  primitive  doctrine,  from  mere 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


13 


philosophical,  sentimental  and  necessitous  non-resist- 
ance. Literally,  then.  Christian  non  resistance  is  the 
original  non-resistance  taught  and  exemplified  by 
Jesus  Christ;  the  bearings,  limitations  aud  applications 
of  which  are  to  be  learned  from  the  Scriptures  of  the 
Xew  Testament. 

And  what  are  those  bearings,  limitations  and  appli- 
cations .’  I have  already  given  an  imperfect  view  of 
them  in  the  previous  definitions.  But  I will  be  more 
explicit.  What  I aim  at  is  to  carry  the  obligations  of 
non-resistance  just  as  far  and  no  farther  than  Jesus 
Christ  has  done.  It  is  easy  to  go  beyond,  or  to  fall 
short  of  his  limits.  Ultra  radicals  go  beyond  him. 
Ultra  conservatives  fall  short  of  him.  Even  those  of 
both  these  classes,  who  profess  to  abide  implicitly  by 
his  teachings,  construe  .and  interpret  his  language  so 
as  to  favor  their  respective  errors.  The  ultra  radi- 
cals seize  on  strong  figurative, hyperbolic,  or  intensive 
forms  of  expression,  and  make  him  seem  to  mean 
much  more  than  he  could  have  intended.  The  ultra 
conservatives  ingeniously  fritter  away  and  nullify  the 
very  essence  of  his  precepts,  in  such  a manner  as  to 
make  him  seem  to  mean  much  less  than  he  must  have 
intended.  There  is,  however,  a general  rule  for  such 
cases,  which  can  scarcely  fail  to  expose  the  errors  of 
both  classes,  in  respect  to  any  given  text.  It  is  this: 
“Consider  the  context;  consider  parallel  texts;  con- 
sider examples;  consider  the  known  spirit  of  Christi- 
anity. ” Any  construction  or  interpretation  of  the 
recorded  language  of  Christ,  or  of  his  apostles,  in 
which  all  these  concur,  is  sound.  Any  other  is  prob- 
ably erroneous. 

THE  KEY  TEXT  OF  N O^T  - RESISTANCE. 

Xow  let  us  examine  Matt.  5:  39.  “I  say  unto  you, 


14 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


resist-  not  evil,”&c.  This  single  text,  from  which,  as- 
lias  been  stated,  the  term  non-resistance  took  its  rise, 
if  justly  construed,  furnishes  a complete  key  to  the 
true  bearings,  limitations  and  applications  of  the  doc- 
trine under  discussion.  This  is  precisely  one  of  those 
precepts  which  may  be  easily  made  to  mean  much 
more,  or  much  less,  than  its  author  intended.  It  is  in 
the  intensive,  condensed  form  of  expression,  and  can 
be  understood  only  by  a due  regard  to  its  context. 
What  did  the  divine  Teacher  mean  by  the  word  “evil,” 
and  what  by  the  word  “resist?”  There  are  several 
kinds  of  evil.  1.  Pain,  loss,  damage,  suffered  from 
causes  involving  no  moral  agency,  or  natural  evil.  2. 
Sin  in  general,  or  moral  evil.  3.  Temptations  to  sin, 
or  spiritual  evil;  and  4.  Personal  wrong,  insult,  out- 
rage, injury — or  personal  evil.  Which  of  these  kinds 
of  evil  does  the  context  show  to  have  been  in  our 
Saviour’s  mind  when  he  said,  “resist  not  evil?”  Was 
he  speaking  of  fires,  floods,  famine,  disease,  serpents, 
wild  beasts,  or  any  other  mere  natural  evil  agent1-'  ? 
No.  Then  of  course  he  does  not  prohibit  our  resist- 
ing  such  evil.  Was  he  speaking  of  sin  in  general? 
No.  Then  of  course  he  does  not  prohibit  our  resist- 
ing such  evil  by  suitable  means.  Was  he  speaking  of 
temptations  addressed  to  our  propensities  and  pas- 
sions, enticing  us  to  commit  sin?  No.  Then  of 
course  he  does  not  prohibit  our  resisting  the  devil, 
withstanding  the  evil  suggestions  of  our  own  carnal 
mind,  and  suppressing  our  evil  lusts.  Was  he  speak- 
ing of  personal  evil, injury  personally  inflicted  by  man 
on  man?  Yes.  “Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been 
said,  an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a tooth  for  a tooth  ; but  T 
say  unto  you  that  ye  resist  not  evil,”  i.  e.  personal 
outrage,  insult,  affront — injury.  The  word  “evil,” 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE . 


15 


necessarily  means,  in  this  connection,  personal  injury 
or  evil  inflicted  by  human  beings  on  human  beings. 

But  what  did  Jesus  mean  by  the  words  ‘ ‘resist  not?’  ’ 
There  are  various  kinds  of  resistance,  which  may  be 
offered  to  personal  injury,  when  threatened  or  ac- 
tually inflicted.  There  is  passive  resistance — a dead 
silence,  a sullen  inertia,  a complete  muscular  help- 
lessness— an  utter  refusal  to  speak  or  move.  Does 
the  contest  show  that  Jesus  contemplated,  pro  or  con, 
any  such  resistance  in  his  prohibition  ? No.  There 
is  an  active,  righteous,  moral  resistance — a meek,  firm 
remonstrance,  rebuke,  reproof,  protestation.  Does 
the  connection  show  that  Jesus  prohibits  this  kind  of 
resistance  ? Xu.  There  is  an  active,  firm,  compound, 
moral  and  physical  resistance,  uninjurious  to  the  evil 
doer,  and  only  calculated  to  restrain  him  from  deadly 
violence  or  extreme  outrage.  Was  Jesus  contemplat- 
ing such  modes  of  resisting  personal  injury1?  Does 
the  context  show  that  he  intended  to  prohibit  all  re- 
sistance of  evil  by  such  means?  Xo.  There  is  a de- 
termined resistance  of  personal  injury  by  means  of 
injury  inflict?d;  as  when  a man  deliberately  takes  life 
to  save  life,  destroys  an  assailant’s  eye  to  save  an  eye, 
inflicts  a violent  blow  to  prevent  a blow;  or,  as  when, 
in  retaliation,  he  takes  life  for  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth 
for  tooth,  hand  for  hand,  &c. ; or,  as  when,  by  means 
of  governmental  agencies,  he  causes  an  injurious  per- 
son to  be  punished  by  the  infliction  of  some  injury 
equivalent  to  the  one  he  has  inflicted  or  attempted. 
It  was  of  such  resistance  as  this,  that  our  Saviour  was 
speaking.  It  is  such  resistance  as  this  that  he  pro- 
hibits. His  obvious  doctrine  is:  Resist  not  person- 
al injury  with  personal  injury.  I shall  have  occasion 
to  press  this  point  more  conclusively  in  the  next  chap- 


16 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


ter,  when  presenting  my  Scriptural  proofs.  Enough 
has  been  said  to  determine  the  important  bearings  and 
limitations  of  the  general  doctrine.  It  bears  on  all 
mankind,  in  every  social  relation  of  life.  It  con- 
templates men  as  actually  injured,  or  in  imminent 
danger  of  being  injured,  by  their  fellow  men;  and 
commands  them  to  abstain  from  all  personal  injuries 
either  as  a means  of  retaliation,  self-defence,  or  sup- 
pression of  injury.  If  smitten  on  the  one  cheek,  they 
must  submit  the  other  to  outrage,  rather  than  smite 
back.  If  the  life  of  their  dearest  friend  has  been 
taken,  or  an  eye  or  a tooth  thrust  out,  or  any  other 
wrong  been  done  to  themselves  or  their  fellow  men, 
they  must  not  render  evil  for  evil,  or  railing  for  rail- 
ing,or  hatred  for  hatred.  But  they  are  not  prohibited 
from  resisting,  opposing,  preventing,  or  counteract- 
ing the  injuries  inflicted,  attempted  or  threatened  by 
man  on  man,  in  the  use  of  any  absolutely  uuinjurious 
forces,  whether  moral  or  physical.  On  the  contrary, 
il  is  their  bounden  duty,  by  all  such  benevolent  re- 
sistances, to  promote  the  safety  and  welfare,  the  holi- 
ness and  happiness  of  all  human  beings,  as  opportu- 
nity may  offer. 

NECESSARY  APPLICATIONS  OF  NON  RESISTANCE  . 

The  necessary  applications  of  the  doctrine,  are  to  all 
cases  in  human  intercourse  where  man  receives  ag- 
gressive injury  from  man,  or  is  presumed  to  be  in  im- 
minent danger  of  receiving  it:  i.  e.,  to  all  cases  where- 
in the  injury  of  man  upon  man, is  either  to  be  repelled, 
punished  or  prevented  There  are  four  general  posi- 
tions in  which  human  beings  may  stand  to  resist  injury 
with  injury.  1.  As  individuals;  2.  As  a lawless  com- 
bination of  individuals;  3.  As  members  of  allowable 


CHRISTIAN  NON  RESISTANCE. 


17 


voluntary  associations;  aucl  4.  As  constituent  sup- 
porters of  human  government  in  its  State  or  National 
sovereignty.  Standing  in  either  of  these  positions, 
they  can  resist  injury  with  injury,  either  in  immedi- 
ate self-defence,  in  retaliation  or  by  vindictive  pun- 
ishments. As  individuals,  they  may  act  immediately 
by  their  own  personal  energies,  or  they  may  act 
through  their  agents — persons  employed  to  execute 
their  will.  Connected  with  a lawless  combination, they 
may  act  directly  in  open  co-operative  violence,  or 
clandestinely,  or  through  select  agents,  or  in  a more 
general  manner  through  their  acknowledged  leaders. 
As  members  of  allowable  voluntary  associations,  they 
may  exert  a powerful  influence,  without  any  deeds  of 
violence,  by  means  of  speech,  the  press,  education. re- 
ligion, Ac.,  to  delude,  corrupt,  prejudice  and  insti- 
gate to  evil  the  minds  of  mankind  one  toward  another. 
Thus  designedly  to  stimulate,  predispose  and  lead 
men  to  commit  personal  injury,  under  pretence  of 
serving  God  and  humanity,  is  essentially  the  same 
thing  as  directly  resisting  injury  with  injury  by  phy- 
sical means.  The  mischief  may  be  much  greater,  the 
moral  responsibility  certainly  no  less.  As  constituent 
supporters  of  human  government,  (whether  civil  or 
military,  or  a compound  of  both,)  in  its  State  or  Nat- 
ional sovereignty,  men  are  morally  responsible  for 
all  constitutions,  institutions,  laws,  processes  and 
usages  which  they  have  pledged  themselves  to  support, 
or  which  they  avowedly  approve,  or  which  they  de- 
pend upon  as  instrumentalities  for  securing  and  pro- 
moting their  personal  welfare, or  in  which  they  acqui- 
esce without  positive  remonstrance  and  disfellowship. 
Thus  if  a political  compact,  a civil  or  military  league, 
covenant  or  constitution,  requires,  authorizes,  pro- 


18 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


A ides  for  or  tolerates  war,  bloodshed,  capital  punish- 
ment, slavery, or  any  kind  of  absolute  inj  ury,  offensive 
or  defensive,  the  man  who  swears, affirms  or  otherwise 
pledges  himself  to  support  such  a compact,  league, 
covenant  or  constitution,  is  just  as  responsible  for 
every  act  of  injury  done  in  strict  conformity  thereto, 
as  if  he  himself  personally  committed  it.  He  is  not  re- 
sponsible for  abuses  and  violations  of  the  constitution. 
But  for  all  that  is  constitutionally  done  he  is  respon- 
sible. The  army  is  his  army,  the  navy  his  navy,  the 
militia  his  militia,  the  gallows  his  gallows,  the  pillory 
his  pillory,  the  whipping  post  his  Avhippiug  post,  the 
branding  iron  his  branding  iron, the  prison  his  prison, 
the  dungeon  his  dungeon,  and  the  slaveholding  his 
slaveholding.  When  the  constitutional  majority  de- 
clare war,  it  is  his  war.  All  the  slaughter,  rapine, 
ravages,  robbery,  destruction  and  mischief  committed 
under  that  declaration,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of 
war,  are  his.  Nor  can  he  exculpate  himself  by  plead, 
ing  that  he  Avas  one  of  a strenuous  anti-war  minority  in 
the  government.  He  was  in  the  government.  He  had 
sworn,  affirmed  or  otherwise  pledged  himself,  that  the 
majority  should  have  discretionary  power  to  declare 
war.  He  tied  up  his  hands  Avith  that  anti-Christian 
obligation,  to  stand  by  the  majority  in  all  the  crimes 
and  abominations  inseparable  from  war.  It  is  there- 
fore his  war,  its  murders  are  his  murders,  its  hoirible 
injuries  on  humanity  are  his  injuries.  They  are  all 
committed  with  his  solemn  sanction.  There  is  no  es- 
cape from  this  terrible  moral  responsibility  but  by  a 
conscientious  withdrawal  from  such  government,  and 
an  uncompromising  protest  against  so  much  of  its 
fundamental  creed  and  constitutional  law,  as  is  de- 
cidedly anti-Christian.  He  must  cease  to  be  its  pledged 
supporter,  and  approving  dependent. 


CHRISTIAN  NON- RESISTANCE . 


13 


WHAT  A CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANT  CANNOT 
CONSISTENTLY  DO. 

It  will  appear  from  tlie  foregoing  exposition,  that  a^- 
true  Christian  non-resistant  can  not,  with,  deliberate  in- 
tent, knowledge  or  conscious  voluntariness,  compro- 
mise his  principles  by  either  of  the  following  acts. 

1.  He  cannot  kill,  maim  or  otherwise  absolutely  in- 
jure any  human  being,  in  personal  self  defence,  or  for 
the  sake  of  his  family, or  any  thing  he  holds  dear. 

2.  He  cannot  participate  in  any  lawless  conspiracy, 
mob,  riotous  assembly,  or  disorderly  combination  of 
individuals,  to  cause  or  countenance  the  commission 
of  any  such  absolute  personal  injury. 

3 He  cannot  be  a member  of  any  voluntary  assoc i ' 
ation,  however  orderly,  respectable  or  allowable  by 
law  and  general  consent,  which  deelaratively  holds  as 
fundamental  truth,  or  claims  as  an  e.ssential  right,  or 
distinctly  inculcates  as  sound  doctrine,  or  approves  as 
commendable  in  practice,  war,  capital  punishment, 
or  any  other  absolute  personal  injury. 

4.  He  cannot  be  an  officer  or  private, chaplain  or  re- 
tainer, in  the  army,  navy  or  militia  of  any  nation, 
state,  or  chieftain. 

5.  He  cannot  be  an  officer,  elector,  agent,  legal 
prosecutor,  passive  constituent,  or  approver  of  any 
government,  as  a sworn  or  otherwise  pledged  sup- 
porter thereof,  whose  civil  constitution  and  funda- 
mental laws,  require,  authorize  or  tolerate  Avar,  sla- 
A-ery,  capital  punishment,  or  the  infliction  of  any  ab- 
solute personal  injury. 

6.  He  cannot  be  a member  of  any  chartered  corpor- 
ation or  body  politic,  Avhose  articles  of  compact  oblige 
or  authorize  its  official  functionaries  to  resort  for  com- 


“20 


< H RIST IAN  NON-  RESIST ANC E . 


pulsory  aid  in  the  conducting  of  its  affairs,  to  a gov 
eminent  of  constitutional  violence. 

7.  Finally,  he  cannot  do  any  act,  either  in  person 
or  by  proxy;  nor  abet  or  encourage  any  act  in  others; 
nor  demand,  petition  for,  request,  advise  or  approve 
$he  doing  of  any  act,  by  an  individual,  association  or 
government,  which  act  would  inflict,  threaten  to  in- 
flict, or  necessarily  cause  to  be  inflicted,  any  absolute 
personal  injury,  as  herein  before  defined. 

Such  are  the  necessary  bearings,  limitations  and 
applications  of  the  doctrine  of  Christian  non-resistance. 
Lei,  the  reader  be  careful  not  to  misunderstand  the 
positions  laid  down.  The  platform  of  principle  and 
action  has  been  carefully  founded,  and  its  essential 
peculiarities  plainly  delineated.  Let  it  not  be  said 
that  the  doctrine  goes  against  all  religion,  govern- 
ment, social  organization,  constitutions,  laws,  order, 
rules,  and  regulations.  It  goes  against  none  of  these 
dfiiiugs  per  se.  It  goes  for  them  in  the  highest  and 
best  sense.  It  goes  only  against  such  religion,  govern- 
ment, social  organization,  constitutions,  laws,  order, 
rules,  regulations  and  restraints,  as  are  unequivocally 
contrary  to  the  law  of  Christ;  as  sanction  taking  “life 
if  or  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth;”  as  are  based  on 
the  assumption,  that  it  is  right  to  resist  injury  with  in 
jury,  evil  with  evil. 

-THE  PRINCIPLE  AND  SUB-PRINCIPLE  OF  NON-RESIS- 
TANCE. 

''This  chapter  may  be  profitably  concluded  with  a 
brief  consideration  of  the  doctrine  under  discussion 
with  respect  to  the  principle  from  which  it  proceeds, 
to  the  sub-principle  which  is  its  immediate  moral  basis, 
and  to  the  rule  of  duty  in  which  all  its  applications 


CHE  ISTIAX  XOX-B  ESISTAXCE . 


21 


are  comprehended.  What  is  the  principle  from, 
which  it  proceeds  ? It  is  a principle  from  the  inmost 
bosom  of  God.  It  proceeds  from  all  perfect  loye 
that  absolute,  iudependeut.  unerringly  wise. holy  love, 
which  distinguishes  the  Divine  from  all  inferior 
natures,  and  which,  transfused  into  the  natural  sen- 
timent of  human  benevolence,  superinduces  the  high- 
est order  of  goodness.  Of  this  it  is  said — --Love 
worketh  no  ill  to  his  neighbor;  therefore  love  is  the- 
fulfilling  of  the  law.”  Or  as  the  amiable  John  ex- 
pressed it — “He  that  dwelleth  in  love,  dwelleth  in 
God,  and  God  in  him.  ” This  love  is  not  mere  natur- 
al affection,  nor  sentimental  passion,  but  a pure,  en- 
lightened, conscientious  principle.  It  is  a divine  spring 
of  action,  which  intuitively  and  spontaneously  dictates 
the  doing  of  good  to  others,  whether  they  do  good  or- 
evil.  It  operates  independently  of  external  influences, 
and  being  in  its  nature  absolutely  unselfish,  is  not 
affected  by  the  merit  or  demerit  of  its  objects.  It 
does  not  inquire,  ‘ ‘Am  I loved  % have  I been  benefittedt 
have  my  merits  been  appreciated  ? shall  I be  blessed 
in  return?  Or,  am  I hated,  injured,  cursed  and  con- 
temned?” Whether  others  love  or  hate,  bless  or 
curse,  benefit  or  injure,  it  says,  “I  will  do  right;  I will 
love  still;  I will  bless;  I will  never  injure  even  the 
most  injurious;  I will  overcome  evil  with  good”* 
Therefore  its  goodness  is  not  measured  by  or  adjusted, 
to  the  goodness  of  others,  but  ever  finds  in  itself V- 
sufficient  reason  for  doing  good  and  nothing  but  good 
to  all  moral  agents.  Jesus,  in  whom  flowed  the  full 
current  of  this  diving  love,  the  sublime  efflux  of  the- 
heavenly  nature,  laying  hold  of  the  great  command- 
ment, “Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,’ * 
drew  it  forth  front  the  qrk  of  the  Mosaic  Testament. 


22 


CHE  1ST  I AN  NON  - E ESISTANCE . 


all  mildewed  and  dusky  with  human  misapprehension, 
and  struck  from  it  the  celestial  fire.  The  true  prin- 
ciple was  in  it,  but  men  could  not  clearly  perceive  it, 
much  less  appreciate  its  excellency.  He  showed  that 
the  “ neighbor”  intended  was  any  human  being,  a 
stranger,  an  enemy,  a bitter  foe— any  one  needing 
relief, or  in  danger  of  suffering  through  our  selfishness, 
anger  or  contempt — the  greatest  criminal,  the  veriest 
wretch  of  our  race.  Hence,  knowing  that  the  entire 
wisdom  of  this  world  had  justified  injury  to  injurers, 
hatred  to  enemies,  and  destruction  to  destroyers,  he  re- 
versed the  ancient  maxims,  abrogated  the  law  of  retal- 
iation, and  proclaimed  the  duty  of  uni i noted  forbear- 
ance, mercy  and  kindness.  Imperfect  religion,  world- 
ly minded  philosophy,  and  vindictive  selfishness  had 
concurrently  declared  u there  is  a point  beyond  which 
forbearance  ceases  to  be  a virtue.”  He  swept 
away  this  heartless  delusion  with  a divine  breath, 
and  sublimely  taught  obedient  and  everlasting  ad- 
herence to  the  law  of  love,  as  well  toward  offend- 
ers, injurers  and  enemies,  as  toward  benefactors, 
lovers,  and  friends.  “ I say  unto  you,  take  not  life 
for  life,  eye  for  eye,  and  tooth  for  tooth.  Smite 
not  the  smiter  to  save  thine  own  cheek.  Give  to  him 
that  asketh,  and  turn  not  the  borrower  away.  Love 
your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to 
them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  despite- 
fullyuse  you  and  persecute  you;  that  ye  may  be  the 
children  of  your  Father  in  Heaven.  For  he  maketh 
his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  the  good,  andsendeth  rain 
on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  For  if  ye  love,  and 
salute,  and  do  good  to  them  that  love  you,  what  are 
ye  better  than  the  publicans  V’  Be  like  your  Father 
in  Heaven.  Such  is  the  true  light  radiated  from 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


23 


the  bosom  of  the  Infinite  Father,  and  reflected  on 
this  benighted  world  from  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ. 
What  are  the  puerile  sentimentalisms  of  effeminate 
poets,  or  the  gossamer  elaborations  of  the  world’s 
philosophers,  or  the  incantations  of  solemn  but  vin- 
dictive religionists,  compared  with  the  divine  excel- 
lency of  Truth,  as  it  distilled  in  the  language  of  the 
Messiah . 

All-perfect,  independent,  self-sustaining,  unswerv- 
able  love — divine  love — is  the  principle  from  which 
Christian  non-resistance  proceeds.  What  is  the  sub- 
principle which  constitutes  its  immediate  moral  basis? 
The  essential  efficacy  of  good,  as  the  counteracting 
force  with  which  to  resist  evil.  The  wisdom  of  this 
worll  has  relied  on  the  efficacy  of  injury,  terror, 
evil,  to  resist  evil.  It  has  trusted  in  this  during  all 
past  time.  It  has  educated  the  human  race  to  believe 
that  their  welfare  and  security  depended  mainly  on 
their  power  to  inflict  injury  on  offenders.  Hence  it 
lias  been  their  constant  endeavor  to  possess  a suffi- 
ciency of  injurious  means  to  overawe  their  enemies, 
and  terrify  their  encroaching  fellow-men.  Their  lan- 
guage has  been,  ‘‘keep  your  distance;  touch  not  my 
property;  insult  not  my  honor;  infringe  not  my  rights, 
assail  not  my  person;  be  just  and  respectful;  yield  to 
my  convenience,  and  be  my  friend;  or  I will  let  slip 
the  dogs  of  war;  you  shall  feel  the  weight  of  my  ven- 
geance; I will  inflict  unendurable  injuries  on  you 
death  itself,  torture, imprisonment  in  a loathsome  dun 
geon,  pains  and  penalties,  shall  be  your  portion.  I 
will  do  you  incomparably  greater  evil,  than  you 
-can  do  me.  Therefore  be  afraid,  and  let  me  alone.” 
And  so  perfectly  befooled  are  the  children  of  this 
world,  with  faith  in  injury  as  their  chief  ultimate  se- 


24 


CH  K 1ST  I A X NON-RESISTANCE . 


curity,  that  scarcely  one  in  a thousand  will  at  first 
thought  allow  the  non-resistance  doctrine  to  be  any- 
thing better  than  a proclamation  of  cowardice  on  one 
side,  and  of  universal  anarchy,  lawlessness  and  vio- 
lence on  the  other.  As  if  all  mankind  were  so  en- 
tirely controlled  by  the  dread  of  deadly,  or,  at  least 
tremendous  personal  injury,  that  if  this  were  relin- 
quished a man’s  throat  would  be  instantly  cut,  his 
family  assassinated, or  some  horrible  mischief  indicted. 
Very  few  know  how  entirely  they  trust  for  defence 
and  security  iu  this  grim  and  bloody  god  of  human  in- 
jury. They  have  enshrined  him  in  the  sword,  the 
gibbet  and  the  dungeon.  They  worship  him  in  armies, 
navies,  militia  organizations,  battle  ships,  forts,  arsen- 
als, penal  statutes,  judicial  indictions. pistols,  daggers 
and  bowie  knives.  And  if  we  propose  to  lay  all  these 
evils  aside,  and  go  for  nothing  but  uninjurions,  bene- 
ficent treatment  of  transcending  mankind  never, 
even  with  the  most  outrageous,  the  limits  of  drm,  but 
friendly  personal  restraint,  lo,  they  cry  out  with 
alarm,  “these  have  come  hither  that  turn  the  world  up- 
side down  ! ” “ Torment  us  not  before  the  time  ! ry 

“Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians!”  “Great  is  the  sword, 
the  halter,  thesalutary  powerto  kill  or  injure  sinners  at 
discretion!  What  would  become  of  human  society,  if 
war,  capital  and  other  injurious  punishments  should 
be  abolished  ! ” On  this  altar  they  liwre  sacrificed! 
human  beings  enough  to  people  twenty  such  planets 
as  the  earth,  with  no  other  success  than  to  confirm  and 
systematize  violence  throughout  the  whole  habitable 
globe.  And  yet  injury  is  their  god,  and  at  his  gory 
altar  of  revenge  and  cruelty  they  are  resolved  forever 
to  worship,  amid  the  clangor  of  deadly  weapons,  and 
the  groans  of  a bleeding  world. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 
THE  CONCLUSION. 


Bat  tlie  Son  of  the  Highest,  the  great  self-sacrific- 
iug  Xon-Resistant,  is  our  prophet,  priest  and  king. 
Though  the  maddened  inhabitants  of  the  earth  have 
so  long  turned  a deaf  ear  to  his  voice,  he  shall  yet  be 
heard.  He  declares  that  good  is  the  only  antagonist 
of  evil,  which  can  conquer  the  deadly  foe.  Therefore 
he  enjoins  on  his  disciples  the  duty  of  resisting  evil 
only  with  good.  This  is  the  sub-principle  of  Chris- 
tian non-resistance.  “ Evil  can  be  overcome  only 
with  good.  ” Faith,  then,  in  the  inherent  superiority 
of  good  over  evil,  truth  over  error,  right  over  wrong, 
love  over  hatred,  is  the  immediate  moral  basis  of  our 
doctrine.  Accordingly  we  transfer  all  the  faith  we 
have  been  taught  to  cherish  in  injury,  to  beneficence, 
kindness,  and  uninjurious  treatment,  as  the  only  all- 
sufficient  enginery  of  war  against  evil  doers.  Xo 
longer  seeking  or  expecting  to  put  down  evil  with  evil, 
we  lift  up  the  cross  for  an  ensign,  and  surmounting  it 
with  the  glorious  banner  of  love,  exult  in  the  divine 
motto  displayed  on  its  immaculate  folds,  “ resist  not 
injury  with  injury.  " Let  this  in  all  future  time 
be  the  specific  rule  of  our  conduct,  the  magnetic 
ueeclle  of  our  pathway  across  the  troubled  waters  01 
human  reform,  till  all  men.  all  governments  and  all. 
social  institutions  shall  have  been  moulded  into  moral 
harmony  with  the  grand  comprehensive  command- 
ment of  the  living  God  ” — “ thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself.  ” Then  shall  Love  (God  by 
his  sublimest  name)  “ be  all  in  all. 

The  earth,  so  long  a slaughter-field,, 

Shall  yet  an  Eden  bloom; 

The  tiger  to  the  lamb  shall  yield, 

And  War  descend  the  tomb: 

For  all  thall  feel  the  Saviour’s  love,. 

Reflected  from  the  eros£ 

That  love,  that  non-resistant  love,, 

Which  triumphed  on  the  cress. 


26 


CHE  ISTIAN  NON  - E ES 1ST A NCE . 


CHAPTER  II. 

Scriptural  Proofs. 

Matt.  5:  3S — 41,  a proof  text— Evasive  constructions  of  the 
text— Reason  for  noticing  these  evasions— Second  proof, 
Matt.  5:  43—48 — Third  proof,  forgiveness — Further  im- 
portant proofs— Apostolic  testimonies — General  view  of 
the  evidence— The  primitive  Christians — Testimony  of 
Celsus  and  Gibbons. 

The  preceding  chapter  presents  a clear  statement 
and  thorough  explication  of  the  doctrine  of  Christian 
non-resistance.  This  will  present  the  Scriptural  proofs 
of  its  truth.  It  is  affirmed  to  have  been  taught  and 
exemplified  by  Jesus  Christ.  If  this  can  be  demon- 
strated, all  who  acknowledge  Him  their  Lord  and 
Master  should  feel  bound  to  receive  the  doctrine  as  di- 
vine. In  determining  such  a question,  the  New  Tes- 
tament must  be  our  principal  text  book.  From  its 
records,  fairly  construed,  we  are  to  learn  what  Jesus 
Christ  taught,  what  his  examples  wei'e,  and  what  is 
the  essential  spirit  of  his  religion.  The  evangelists 
and  apostles  shall  be  our  witnesses  in  the  case. 

MATTHEW,  5:  38 — 41,  A PROOF  TEXT. 

In  Matthew’s  report  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount, 
Jesus  thus  speaks: — Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been 
said,  an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a tooth  for  a tooth:  but  I 
say  unto  you,  that  ye  resist  not  evil;  but  whosoever 
shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the 
other  also.  And  if  any  man  will  sue  thee  at  the  law. 
and  take  away  thy  coaf,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also. 


'CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE.  21 

And  whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a mile,  go 
with  him  twain.”  Matt.  5:38 — 41.  What  is  the 
exact  meaning  of  .this  language,  and  what  does  it 
teach?  To  whom  does  Jesus  refer  as  having  said, 
an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a tooth  for  a tooth?  ” To 
Moses  and  his  expounders.  Eead  the  following  pas- 
sages. Speaking  of  injury  done  to  a woman  in  preg- 
nancy:— “ And  if  auy  mischief  follow,  then  thou  shalt 
give  life  for  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  hand  for 
hand,  foot  for  foot,  burning  for  burning,  wound  for 
wound,  stripe  for  stripe.  ” Ex.  21:  23 — 25.  “If  a 

man  cause  a blemish  in  his  neighbor;  as  he  hath  done, 
so  shall  it  be  done  to  him;  breach  for  breach,  eye  for 
eye,  tooth  for  tooth;  as  he  hath  caused  a blemish  in  a 
man,  so  shall  it  be  done  to  him.  ” Lev.  24:  19,  20.  In 
the  case  of  a false  witness:  “And  the  judges  shall  make 
diligent  inquisition:  and,  behold,  if  the  witness  be  a 
false  witness,  and  hath  testified  falsely  against  his 
brother  then  shall  ye  do  unto  him.  as  he  had  thought 
to  have  done  unto  his  brother;  so  shalt  thou  put  the 
evil  away  from  among  you.  And  thy  eye  shalt  not 
pity;  but  life  shall  go  for  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for 
tooth,  foot  for  foot.  ” Deut.  19:  IS — 21.  Here  we 

have  a comprehensive  view  of  the  personal  injuries 
authorized  to  be  inflicted  on  injurers  under  the  Mo- 
saic code,  from  capital  punishment  down  to  the  inflic- 
tion of  a stripe.  And  we  have  a strong  expression  of 
ithe  design  of  those  inflictions:  “ So  shalt  thou  put 
the  evil  away  from  among  you.  ” Xow  did  Jesus  re- 
fer to  these  precepts  of  Moses,  and  to  the  enforcement 
of  them  ? Who  can  doubt  it?  And  if  so,  did  he  in- 
tend to  confirm  or  to  abrogate  them?  Certainly  to 
abrogate  them.  For  his  words  express  positive  oppo- 
sition of  sense: — “ BUT  T say  unto  you.  that  ye  resist 


2S 


0 HR  1ST!  A X XOX- R ESISTANCE . 


not  evil.  ” How?  As  they  do  who  take  “ life  for 
life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth.  ” &c.  “ But  whoso- 

ever shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him 
the  oilier  also.  ” Instead  of  smiting  hack  and  giving- 
wound  for  wound,  or  going  to  the  magistrate  to  get  thy 
assailant  punished,  as  the  olden  sayings  authorize,  en- 
dure to  he  smitten  again  and  again.  If  under  color 
of  the  law  thy  coat  lie  taken  from  thee;  witliold  not 
thy  cloak.  Sue  not  hack  to  recover  thy  spoiled  goods. 
If  men  force  thee  to  go  whither  they  will,  become 
their  prisoner  without  turbulence.  Bcsist  not  in- 
jury with  injury.  Inflict  not  evil  in  opposing  evil.  It 
has  been  so  commanded  in  time  past,  as  a means  of 
suppressing  and  preventing  evil  among  men;  “hut  I 
say  unto  you,'  that  ye  resist  not  evil  doing  with  inflic- 
tions of  evil.  ” Xothing  can  he  plainer,  than  that,.  SO' 
far  as  Moses  and  his  expounders  enjoined  the  inflic- 
tion of  penal  personal  injuries  in  resistance  of  injuries, 
and  for  the  suppression  of  evil  doing,  Jesus  Christ 
prohibits  the  same.  He  enjoins  his  disciples  never  to 
resist  evil  with  such  inflictions.  They  are  forbidden 
to  render  evil  for  evil,  either  directly  as  individuals, 
on  their  own  responsibility,  or  as  prosecutors  at  law. 
Is  this  a just  and  unobjectionable  construction  of  the 
Saviour’s  language?  If  it  is,  the  doctrine  of  Aon-Be- 
sistance  is  already  established,  by  a single  quotation. 
But  this  will  be  contested. 

EVASIVE  CONSTRUCTIONS  OF  THE  TEXT. 

It  will  be  said  that  the  words  of  Christ,  in  the  pas- 
sage quoted,  are  extremely  figurative  and  intensive  in 
their  form  of  expression;  that  there  is  danger  of  tak- 
ing them  too  literally;  and  they  must  be  duly  quali- 
fied. I grant  it  and  have  construed  them  accord- 


VHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


29 


ingly.  I ascertained  first  their  reference  to  the  say- 
ings of  Closes,  and  then  determined  the  prohibition  to 
be  exactly  commensurate  with  the  Mosaic  require- 
ment. That  resistance  of  evil  which  Moses  sanctioned 
and  enjoined  Jesus  obviously  repudiates  and  forbids. 
The  prohibition  is  made  precisely  co-extensive  in  all 
its  bearings  with  the  allowances  and  injunctions  of 
the  olden  code.  This  is  the  only  fair  construction 
which  can  be  given  to  the  great  Teacher’s  language. 
Should  any  one  affirm  that  Jesus  prohibits  all  kinds 
and  degrees  of  resistance  to  evil,  he  could  sustain  his 
affirmation  only  by  insisting  on  the  literal  expression, 
and  would  make  the  Saviour  contradict  himself,  his 
own  example,  and  the  common  sense  of  mankind. 
Should  any  one  affirm,  on  the  other  hand,  that  Jesus 
did  not  intend  to  abrogate  and  prohibit  all  the  per- 
sonal and  judicial  iuflictions  of  evil  on  offenders,  au- 
thorized by  the  fore  cited  sayings  of  Moses,  he  would 
find  himself  in  an  equally  perplexing  dilemma.  I 
have  seen  distinguished  opposers  in  this  latter  di- 
lemma. 

EVASION"  FIRST. 

One  says,  “I  doubt  if  Jesus  referred  to  the  sayings 
of  Moses,  quoted  from  Exodus, Leviticus,  and  Deuter- 
onomy. He  must  have  referred  to  certain  perverse 
Rabbinical  glosses  on  the  precepts  of  the  law,  and  to 
•common  sayings  among  the  people  pleaded  in  justifi- 
cation of  frequent  and  extreme  revenge.”  Is  there 
any  proof  of  this  ? Ro  ; it  is  mere  supposition.  But 
if  it  were  true,  why  did  not  Jesus  give  some  intima- 
tion that  he  was  prohibiting  only  abuses.  And  withal, 
what  glosses  or  common  sayings  could  go  beyond  the 
original  sayings  themselves  ? They  express  the  lex 


30 


CHRISTIAN  NON  - RESIST  ANC  E . 


talonis  in  its  fullest  extent;  “life  for  life,  eye  for 
eye,  tootli  for  tooth,  hand  for  hand,  foot  for  foot,, 
breach  for  breach,  wound  for  wound,  stripe  for 
stripe.”  It  would  be  hard  glossing,  or  overstraining 
such  sayings.  This  plea  is  futile. 

EVASION  SECOND. 

Another  insists  that  Christ  was  only  inculcating 
the  importance  of  executing  legal  penalties,  and  of 
using  lawful  inflictions  of  injury  against  assailants,  in 
a right  spirit.  “He  does  not  prohibit  the  act,  but 
only  a vindictive,  revengeful  spirit  in  performing  it. 
Life  ought  to  be  taken  for  life,  and  various  evils  in- 
flicted on  evil  doers,  as  a just  punishment;  and  self- 
defence  ought  to  be  maintained,  even  to  the  infliction 
of  death  in  extreme  cases;  but  all  should  be  done 
without  revenge,  without  unnecessary  cruelty  and  in 
pure  love  to  the  offender,  as  well  as  Avith  a sacred  rev- 
erence for  the  law.”  In  this  way  Jesus  is  smoothly 
construed  to  have  really  said  nothing  at  all, — 
practially  nothing  that  Moses  and  the  ancients  had 
not  said.  Did  they  authorize  personal  hate,  malice, 
revenge  and  wanton  cruelty  in  executing  the  penalties 
of  the  law  ? Did  they  not  positively  prohibit  all  such 
feelings  and  conduct?  “Thou  shalt  not  avenge,  nor 
bear  any  grudge  against  the  children  of  thy  people.” 
“Thou  shalt  not  hate  tl^  brother  in  thy  heart:  thou 
shalt  in  anywise  rebuke  thy  neighbor,  and  not  suffer 
sin  upon  him.”  “In  righteousness  shalt  thou  judge 
thy  neighbor.”  Lev.  19th  chap.  “ If  there  be  a con- 
troversy between  men,  and  they  come  unto  judgment, 
that  the  judges  may  judge  them;  then  they  shall 
justify  the  righteous,  and  condemn  the  wicked.  And 
i shall  be,  if  the  wicked  man  be  worthy  to  be  beaten, 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


31 


that  the  judge  shall  cause  him  to  lie  down,  and  to  he- 
beaten  before  his  face,  according  to  his  fault,  by  a 
certain  number.  Forty  stripes  he  may  give  him,  and 
not  exceed:  lest  if  he  should  exceed,  and  beat  him 
above  these  with  many  stripes,  then  thy  brother 
should  seem  vile  unto  thee. Deut.  25:  1—3.  See 
Deut.  16:  18,  20;  17:  2—12;  19:  15.  Ex.  23:  1—8. 
From  these  and  other  passages  in  the  writings  of 
Moses,  it  will  be  seen  that,  notwithstanding  the  sever- 
ity of  his  code,  he  did  not  authorize  individual  hatred, 
revenge  and  wanton  cruelty  in  punishing  the  wicked. 
To  make  Christ  prohibit  only  a personal,  spiteful, 
malicious,  cruel  spirit  in  executing  the  punishments  of 
the  law,  is  to  make  him  the  mere  echo  of  Moses  and 
his  expounders;  whereas  he  goes  absolutely  against  the 
deed — the  act  of  inflicting  evil  on  the  persons  of  of- 
fenders. And  by  killing  the  body  of  the  thing,  he 
banishes  the  spirit  of  it.  Seeming  love  only  renders 
the  infliction  of  death  or  torture  on  offenders  the 
more  abhorrent  to  Christian  sensibility.  It  is  too 
much  like  a mother  kissing,  while  at  the  same  time 
she  presses  her  child  to  death  ; or  a beautiful  damsel, 
with  all  her  Charming  airs,  embracing,  and  at  the 
same  time  slowly  thrusting  a tine  stiletto  into  the 
oosom  of  her  admirer.  Death  is  death,  torture  is 
torture,  injury  is  injury,  how  gently  and  politely  so- 
ever inflicted.  And  there  is  a kind  of  fittness  in  hav- 
ing stern  hearted,  severe -natured  persons  to  execute 
such  sentences. 


EVASION  THIRD. 

Another  pleads  that  Jesus  was  inculcating  the- 
duty  of  referring  all  punishments  to  magistracy  and. 
the  government  ; that  he  prohibited  a resort  to  pri- 


32 


CHRISTIAN  NON-  RESIST  ANC  E . 


rate  revenges  ; and  only  meant  to  teacli  liis  disciples 
*to  seek  redress  for  the  injuries  done  them  in  courts  of 
law.  This  is  a still  lamer  shift  than  the  other.  The 
connection  gives  no  intimation  whatever  that  this  was 
his  design.  On  the  contrary,  he  enjoins  non  resist- 
ance alike  in  respect  to  personal  assult  and  legal 
wrong.  If  a man  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  offer 
the  other.  If  he  sue  thee  at  the  law  and  take  away 
thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also.  If  he  make 
thee  a prisoner,  and  force  thee  to  go  with  him,  resist 
not.  This  does  not  look  like  teaching  men  to  go  to 
law  for  redress  of  grievances  ,or  encouraging  them  to 
make  magistrates  the  revengers  of  their  wrongs.  He 
does  not  say  “ Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said, 
let  every  man  take  vengeance  on  his  own  offenders, 
and  redress  his  own  grievances  ; but  I say  unto  you 
look  to  the  government,  complain  to  the  magistrates, 
carry  all  your  causes  iuto  the  courts  for  adjudication.” 
Not  a word  of  this.  And  not  a -word  of  it  is  to  be 
found  in  any  part  of  the  New  Testament.  Jesus 
Christ  never  sued  or  taught  his  followers  to  sue  men 
at  the  law.  It  would  have  sunk  his  divine  dignity 
to  contempt  had  he  exhibited  such  folly. 

EVASION  FOURTH. 

Another  presumes  he  intended  to  discountenance 
all  petty  vindictiveness,  retaliation  and  litigation, 
but  not  to  forbid  these  things  in  extreme  cases,  on  a 
great  scale,  and  where  important  interests  are  at 
stake.  This  is  very  accommodating  but  very,  falla- 
cious. Who  shall  draw  the  line  between  the  great 
and  the  small,  the  frivolous  and  the  important,  in 
these  matters  ! The  inj  ured  party,  of  course.  It  is  for 

him  to  say  whether  the  wrongs  done  him  are  of  suffi- 

2 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


33 


■cient  moment  to  justify  litigation,  retaliation  or  per- 
sonal resistance  ; and  the  consequence  is  that  small  of- 
fences, insults  and  injuries,  are  rare.  Nearly  all  are 

too  great  to  be  endured.  Jesus  gives  not  the  slightest 
intimation  that  lie  is  drawing  a line  of  distinction  be- 
tween great  and  small  evils  ; and  that  he  forbids  his 
followers  to  resist  ordinary  personal  injuries,  whilst 
great  ones  are  left  to  the  law  or  resistance  and  retalia- 
tion. Such  pleadings  are  only  so  many  attempts  of 
• a worldly  mind,  to  procure  itself  indulgence  under 
the  Christian  name  in  practices  upon  which,  root  and 
branch,  the  Son  of  God  has  placed  the  seal  of  prohibi- 
tion. 


EVASION  FIFTH. 

Another  presumes  to  assert  that  Jesus  never  in- 
tended the  precept,  “Resist  not  evil,”  &c.,  “for  a 
general  rule  ; but  it  was  given  to  his  early  followers, 
as  their  guide  when  wronged  by  the  tyrants  under 
whom  they  lived.  To  resist  then  would  be  of  no 
avail;  it  was  better  therefore  patiently  to  endure.” 
What  a despicable  expediency  does  this  ascribe  to  the 
Saviour  ! What  a skulking  prudence  ! Resist  not 
evil  when  unable  to  do  so  ! Submit  to  irresistable 
tyranny  and  outrage  ; offer  the  other  cheek  ; crawl 
like  spaniels,  when  you  cannot  help  yourselves  ! 
But  tight  like  dragons  when  you  have  a fair  prospect 
of  overmatching  your  enemies  ! To  a mind  capable 
of  drawing  such  a meaning  from  the  words  of  Christ, 
I should  thiuk  the  text  would  furnish  a general  rule, 
i.  e.  “submit  when  you  must,  but  resist  when  you 
can.”  If  it  were  not  utterly  derogatory  to  the  char- 
acter of  Jesus,  and  utterly  unsupported  by  a single 
hint  in  the  context,  it  might  be  worth  while  to  at- 


34 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE . 


tempt  its  sober  refutation.  As  it  is,  the  mere  state- 
ment sufficiently  explodes  it. 

EVASION  SIXTH. 

Still  another  argues  that  Jesus,  though  he  preached 
strict  non-resistance,  as  to  the  duty  of  his  followers 
in  all  strictly  religious  matters,  nevertheless  left  them 
perfectly  free  in  secular  matters,  to  resist,  litigate  and 
make  war  at  discretion.  That  is,  while  attending 
purely  to  religious  duties,  and  propagating  Chris- 
tianity by  divinely  appointed  means,  they  must  suf- 
fer all  manner  of  personal  abuse,  insult,  outrage,  per- 
secution and  violence,  without  offering  the  least  re- 
sistance, either  by  individual  force  of  arms  or  prose- 
cutions at  law.  But  as  men  of  the  world,  politicians, 
merchants,  tradesmen,  money -getters,  &c.  they  are  at 
full  liberty  to  follow  the  dictates  of  worldly  expedi- 
ency, and  to  resist  even  unto  death  all  who  threaten 
their  lives,  liberty  or  property.  This  stands  on  the 
same  sandy  foundation  with  the  others,  and  cannot  be 
sustained  by  one  single  decent  looking  reason.  In- 
deed, its  bare  statement  ought  to  be  its  sufficient 
refutation. 

EVASION  FINAL. 

Finally,  another  declares  that  he  does  not  know 
what  Jesus  did  really  mean  to  teach,  in  the  passage 
under  consideration;  but  he  is  sure  it  cannot  have 
been  the  prohibition  of  life-taking,  penal  inflictions 
on  criminals,  defensive  war,  or  personal  self-defense 
under  severe  assault.  Because  Jesus  himself  had  be- 
fore declared  in  the  same  discourse: — “ Think  not 
that  I am  come  to  destroy  the  law  and  the  prophets; 
I am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil.  For  verily  I 


CHK ISTI  AN  NON-  E ESISTA  NOE . 


35 


say  unto  you,  till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or 
tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  he 
fulfilled.  Whosoever,  therefore,  shall  break  one  of 
these  least  commandments,  and  shall  teach  men  so, 
he  shall  be  called  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven; 
but  whosoever  shall  do  and  teach  them,  the  same 
shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  For 
I say  unto  you,  that  except  your  righteousness  shall 
exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  pharisees, 
ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.” 
Matt.  5:  IS — 20.  And  what  is  the  deduction  from 
these  words'?  It  is,  that  if  Moses  commanded  men  to 
take  ‘‘life  for  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  hand 
for  hand,”  &c.,  Jesus  does  not  abrogate  or  invalidate 
such  commandment,  and  cannot  have  intended  any 
such  thing,  whatever  else  he  meant;  since  one  jot  or 
tittle  of  the  least  of  the  commandments  in  the  lawT 
and  the  prophets  was  not  to  be  destroyed,  or  left  un- 
fulfilled. In  answer  to  this,  I may  remark  that  it  is 
rather  a cavil  than  a candid  objection,  and  would 
sound  much  better  from  the  lips  of  an  infidel,  than 
from  those  of  a professed  Christian.  It  is  alleging  an 
apparent  self  contradiction  of  Jesus.  He  says,  “Ye 
have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  (i.  e.,  by  Moses  and 
his  expounders,)  an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a tooth  for  a 
tooth;  but  I say  unto  you  that  ye  resist  not  evil  (thus); 
but  whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek 
(rather  than  smite  him)  turn  unto  him  the  other  also.” 
Then  on  the  contrary  he  says,  “Whosoever  therefore, 
shall  break  one  of  the  least  of  these  commandments, 
(even  the  one  which  requires  eye  to  be  taken  for  eyei 
and  tooth  for  tooth,)  and  shall  teach  men  so,  shall  be 
called  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,”  &c.  Thus  the 
opposer  urges  a self  contradiction.  Well,  if  there  be 


30 


CHRIST  r A N NON- RESISTANCE. 


a contradiction,  and  it  weigh  anything  at  all  in  the 
ease  at  issue,  it  is  not  worth  as  much  for  non-resis- 
tance as  against  it  ? Is  not  Jesus  as  good  authority 
against  himself  for  the  abrogation  of  the  command- 
ment, as  for  its  confirmation  f Certainly.  But  if  it 
would  invalidate  his  testimony,  then  it  only  furnishes 
food  for  the  infidel.  Such  is  not  the  object;  for  I 
have  heard  this  identical  cavil  from  the  lips  of  a ven- 
erable Hopkinsian  clergyman.  What  then  does  it 
avail?  If  it  proves  any  thing  against  my  construc- 
tion of  Matt.  5:  38 — 41,  it  certainly  proves  a great 
deal  too  much.  It  would  carry  us  back,  and  bind  us 
hand  and  foot  to  Judaism,  with  its  every  “jot  and  tit- 
tle. ” It  would  re-enact  the  whole  ceremonial  as  well 
as  moral  and  penal  code  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation  ! 
Circumcision,  sacrifices  and  all  the  commandments, 
least  as  well  as  greatest,  would  be  made  binding  on  uss 
No  Christian  would  admit  any  thing  like  this  for  a 
moment.  Many  commandments  have  been  abrogated: 
Jesus  and  Paul  are  explicit  on  this  point.  But  it  does 
not  follow  that  any  one  has  been  absolutely  destroyed, 
or  left  unfulfilled.  Many  have  emerged  from  the 
shadow  into  the  substance,  from  types  and  figures  in- 
to the  reality.  Others  have  been  lost  in  the  letter, 
and  more  than  preserved  in  the  spirit.  All  have  done 
their  work,  or  are  still  doing  it  in  the  essence  of 
Christianity.  Did  not  Jesus  mean  to  be  understood 
in  this  sense,  when  he  declared  he  had  not  “come  to 
destroy  the  law  or  the  prophets,  ” but  “ to  fulfill 
them,  ” &c.  ? Was  it  to  preserve  them  in  the  mere 
letter  and  form— in  the  type  and  shadow — or  rathei 
in  their  essence — in  the  absolute  reality  of  their  spir- 
itual excellence  "?  Clearly,  the  latter.  When  he  abol- 
ished the  oath,  did  he  abolish  the  truth?  Did  he  re- 


CHRISTIAN  NON- RESISTANCE. 


37 


lax  the  obligations  of  men  to  speak  the  truth  ? Did 
he  weaken  the  sanctions  of  truth  ? Xo;  he  enhanced 
them:  He  exalted  the  truth.  In  prohibiting  his  dis- 

ciples from  all  inflictions  of  injury  in  resistance  of 
evil,  did  he  absolve  them  from  one  iota  of  the  law  of 
love— the  obligation  to  love  their  neighbors  as  them- 
elves — the  doing  nuto  others  as  they  would  that 
others  should  do  unto  them  ? Did  he  weaken  that 
great  law?  Did  he  not  exalt  and  perfect  its  power 
and  sanctions?  If  his  professed  followers  should 
faithfully  obey  his  instructions,  in  respect  to  this 
heavenly  treatment  of  offenders,  would  they  become 
worse,  or  would  offenses  increase?  Let  the  tongue  of 
blasphemy  alone  presume  to  say  it?  We  know  the 
contrary.  In  a word,  we  know  that  this  self-same 
doctrine  of  Christian  non-resistance,  as  we  deduce  it 
from  the  passage  before  us,  is  the  righteousness  of  the 
law  and  the  prophets  in  its  perfection  and  true  glory; 
and  therefore  is  in  strict  harmony  with  the  doctrine 
taught  in  the  18th,  19th,  and  20th  verses.  The  cavil 
is  silenced. 

REASON  FOR  NOTICING  ALL  THESE  EVASIONS. 

I have  been  particular  to  notice  these  various  con 
structions  of  our  Lord’s  words,  these  attempts  to  avoid 
the  legitimate  force  of  Matt.  5:  38 — 41,  and  to  disal- 
low it  as  a proot  text  of  the  doctrine  before  us;  not  be- 
cause I thought  them  really  worthy  of  it  in  them- 
selves; but  because  I have  known  them  all  urged  3^,$ 
relied  on  by  clergymen  and  reputable  professing 
Christians,  ot  various  sects,  in  their-  struggle  to  with- 
stand the  truth.  It  is  remarkable  how  very  incon- 
grous  all  these  anti- non-resistant  constructions,  ob- 
jections and  cavils  are.'  Yet  I have  heard  them  put. 


38 


CH RISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


forth  with  great  confidence,  even  by  different  clergy- 
men of  the  same  general  sect,  and  repeatedly  pleaded 
with  apparent  sincerity  and  earnestness  as  a sufficient 
invalidation  of  our  leading  proof  text.  It  is  impor- 
tant to  explode  them,  in  order  to  secure  the  convic- 
tion of  an  order  of  minds,  at  once  conscientious  and  in- 
telligent, but  liable  to  be  misled  by  the  confident  spe- 
cial pleadings  of  those  from  whom  they  have  been  ac- 
customed to  receive  their  religious  opinions.  When 
we  pretend  to  prove  a doctrine,  we  ought  not  only  to 
quote  passages  which  sound  well  to  the  ear,  but  to  de- 
monstrate that  those  passages  cannot  fairly  be  con- 
strued in  any  other  sense  than  that  in  which  we  take 
them.  To  have  demonstrated  Matt.  5:  38 — 41  to  be  an 
undeniable  proof  text  of  our  doctrine  is  no  small 
achievement  in  this  department  of  my  work.  This 
once  established,  I can  accomplish  the  rest  with  little 
difficulty.  What  I insist  on.  then,  is,  that  I have  ad- 
duced one  fundamental  proof  from  the  highest  scrip- 
lure  authority.  If  this  cannot  be  invalidated;  if  it 
must  be  admitted;  if  the  passage  cannot  fairly  be  con- 
strued to  mean  any  thing  else  than  I have  shown,  the 
probability  is  that  1 shall  find  ample  corroborative 
proof  all  the  way  through  the  New  Testament.  I 
therefore  proceed  to  make  a further  quotation  from 
the  same  chapter  and  discourse. 

SECOND  PROOF,  MATT.  5:  43 — 48. 

‘ ‘ Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  and  hate  thine  enemy:  But  I say 

unto  you,  love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse 
you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them 
which  despite  fully  use  you  and  persecute  you.  ” lb. 
5:  43,  44.  This  is  plainly  in  the  same  strain,  and  of 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


39 


the  same  import  with  the  other.  It  is  clear,  explic- 
it, significant  and  forcible.  By  whom  the  saying, 
“ thon  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  and  hate  thine  en- 
emy, ” had  been  literally  uttered,  I cannot  with  cer- 
tainty learn.  Probably  it  had  long  since  passed  into 
-a  common  maxim.  But  in  its  nature  and  origin  it 
was  kindred  with  the  preceding  saying,  “ an  eye  for 
an  eye  and  a tooth  for  a tooth.'7  It  derived  its  prin- 
cipal sanction  from  the  Mosaic  injunctions  respecting 
capital  criminals  and  doomed  national  enemies.  Bead 
the  following  passages.  u If  thou  shalt  hear  say  in 
one  of  thy  cities,  which  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  given 
thee  to  dwell  there,  saying,  certain  men,  the  children 
of  Belial,  are  gone  out  from  among  you,  and  hath 
withdrawn  the  inhabitants  of  their  city,  saying,  let  us 
go  and  serve  other  gods,  which  ye  have  not  known; 
then  shalt  thou  inquire,  and  make  search,  and  ask 
diligently;  and  behold,  if  it  lie  truth,  and  the  thing 
certain,  that  such  abomination  is  wrought  among  you: 
Thou  shalt  surely  smite  the  inhabitants  of  that  city 
with  the  edge  of  the  sword,  destroying  it  utterly,  and 
all  that  is  therein,  and  the  cattle  thereof,  with  the 
edge  of  the  sword.  And  thou  shalt  gather  all  the 
spoil  of  it  into  the  midst  of  the  street  thereof, 
and  shalt  burn  with  fire  the  city,  and  all  the  spoil 
thereof  every  whit,  for  the  Lord  thy  God:  and  it  shall 
be  a heap  forever;  it  shall  not  be  built  again.  ” Dent. 
13:  12 — 16.  “ But  of  the  cities  of  these  people,  which 
the  Lord  thy  God  doth  give  thee  for  an  inheritance, 
thou  shalt  save  alive  nothing  that  breathetli.  But 
thou  shalt  utterly  destroy  them;  namely  the  Ilittites, 
and  the  Amorites,  the  Canaanites,  and  the  Perrizites, 
the  Hivites,  and  the  Jebusites,  as  the  Lord  thy  God 
hath  commanded  thee.  ''  Deut.  20:  16,  17.  “ Thou 


40 


OH  RIST  r A N NON-  RESIST  A NOE . 


shalt  make  no  covenant  with  them,  nor  show  mercy 
unto  them.”  Ib.  7:2.  In  accordance  with  these 
sentiments  David  utters  the  following  language: 
“ Plead  my  cause,  O Lord,  with  them  that  strive  with 
me:  tight  against  them  that  tight  against  me.  Take 
hold  of  shield  and  buckler,  and  stand  up  for  my  help. 
Draw  out  also  the  spear,  and  stop  the  way  against 
them  that  persecute  me:  say  unto  my  soul,  I am  thy 
salvation.  * * * Let  them  be  as  chaff  before  the 
wind:  and  let  the  angel  of  the  Lord  chase  them.  Let 
their  way  be  dark  and  slippery:  and  let  the  angel  of 
the  Lord  persecute  them.  ” Psal.  35:  1 — 8.  • 

With  equal  abhorrence  of  idolatry,  and  of  all  the 
crimes  of  those  who  are  liolden  to  be  outlaws  and 
doomed  enemies  under  the  former  Testament,  but  in 
striking  contrast  with  the  authorized  hatred  and  ven- 
geance exercised  towards  them,  Jesus  says,  “ love, 
bless,  do  good  to,  and  pray  for  them,  ever,  though 
they  be  your  bitter  foes  and  persecutors.”  He  in- 
cludes among  enemies,  haters  and  persecutors,' all  in- 
jurers,  whether  personal,  social,  religious  or  national. 
His  words  are  equally  irreconcilable  with  all  hatred, 
all  persecution,  all  cruelty,  all  war,  all  injury  which 
one  man,  one  family,  one  community  or  one  nation, 
can  do  to  another.  The  truly  Christian  individ- 
ual could  not  devise,  execute  or  abet  any  injury 
against  an  offending  fellow  man.  What  then  would  a 
truly  Christian  family,  neighborhood,  community, 
state  or  nation  do  ? Could  they  act  any  other  than 
the  non-resistant  part  toward  their  foes  and  injurers  ? 
If  they  loved,  blessed,  benefited,  and  prayed  for  the 
worst  of  aggressors  and  offenders,  what  a spectacle 
would  be  presented  ! What  a conquest  would  be 
achieved  over  all  evil  doers  ! Does  not  Jesus  enjoin 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


41 


this  sublime  love  and  heavenly  practice?  Can  he 
mean  any  thing  less  than  appears  upon  the  beautiful 
face  of  his  words?  What  professed  Christian  can 
erect  the  gibbet,  or  light  the  faggot,  or  draw  out  the 
rack,  or  contrive  any  injurious  punishment,  or  gird 
on  any  weapon  of  war,  or  give  his  sanction  to  any 
cruelty,  by  individuals  or  society,  and  yet  plead  that 
he  is  in  the  spirit  and  practice  of  this  his  Lord’s 
commandment?  IX es  that  man  love  his  enemies, 

bless  those  who  curse  him;  do  good  to  those  that  hate 
him  and  pray  for  his  iujurers,  who  hangs,  or  shoots, 
or  tortures,  or  stones  them,  or  holds  himself  sworn  to 
inflict  any  such  evils  ? But  let  us  hear  the  Saviour 
urge  his  own  precepts.  “ That  ye  may  be  the  chil- 
dren of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven;  for  he 
rnaketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  For 
if  ye  love  them  (only)  which  love  you,  what  reward 
have  you  ? Do  not  even  the  publicans  the  same  ? And 
if  ye  salute  your  brethren  only,  what  do  ye  more  than 
others  ? Do  not  even  the  publicans  so  ? Be  ye  there- 
fore perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven 
is  perfect.  ” __  Verses  45 — 48.  Your  Father  loves  his 

enemies,  blesses  those  that  curse  him  and  does  good  to 
them  that  hate  him.  Else  the  sun  would  not  shine  as- 
it  does  on  the  evil,  nor  the  rain  distil  on  the  unjust, 
nor  salvation  descend  from  heaven  for  the  lost.  Im- 
bibe the  spirit  of  your  Father.  Imitate  his  goodness 
to  the  unthankful  and  evil.  Put  on  his  moral  char- 
acter. Be  his  children.  Be  not  content  barely  to 
love  them  that  love  you.  Love,  forbear  with,  benefit 
and  seek  to  save  even  the  guilty  and  undeserving. 
Else  what  higher  are  ye  in  the  moral  scale  than  the 
publicans?  Salute  and  befriend,  not  only  your  own 


CHRISTIAN  NON-  RESISTANT!-’. 


42 

kindred,  friends  and  intimate  associates,  but  all  men, 
however  strange  or  hostile  to  you.  Aspire  continually 
to  be  perfectly,  independently  good  to  all,  as  your 
Father  in  heaven  is.  What  can  be  plainer  than  this? 
What  can  be  more  pure,  sublime,  spiritually  excel- 
lent or  morally  beautiful  ! It  is  Christian  non-resis- 
tance; or  rather  that  perfect  love,  of  which  true  non- 
resistance  is  a distinguishing  fruit.  But  let  us  pro- 
ceed. 


THIRD  PKOOF — FORGIVENESS. 

He  enjoins  the  duty  of  forgiveness  on  the  same  gen- 
>eral  principle.  “After  this  manner,  therefore,  pray 
ye.”  * * * “Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our 
debtors.”  “For  if  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses, 
’your  heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  you.  But  if 
ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither  will  your 
Father  forgive  your  trespasses.”  Matt.  6:  12,  14,  15. 
“Then  came  Peter  to  him,  and  said,  Lord,  how  oft 
shall  my  brother  sin  against  me,  and  I forgive  him  ? 
Till  seven  times  ? Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I say  not 
unto  thee,  until  seven  times,  but  until  seventy  times 
seven.”  Ib.  18:21,  22.  See  also  the  illustrating  par- 
aide  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  “And  when  ye  stand 
praying,  forgive,  if  ye  have  aught  against  any,  that 
your  Father  also  which  is  in  heaven  may  forgive  you 
your  trespasses  ; but  if  ye  do  not  forgive,  neither  will 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  forgive  your  trespass- 
es.” Mark  11:  25,  2G.  “Judge  not,  and  ye  shall  not 
be  judged:  condemn  not,  and  ye  shall  not  be  con- 
demned: forgive,  and  ye  shall  be  forgiven.”  Luke  t>: 

o n 

O ( . 

The  idea  in  all  these  passages  is,  that  the  injured 
party  claims  a right  to  punish  the  injurer  oh  account 


CHRIST  I AN  NON-  R ES  1ST  A NOE . 


43 


mf  some  actual  offence.  Jesus  is  not  speaking  of  mere 
envious  grudges,  causeless  resentment,  or  ill  will. 
He  pre  supposes  a real  injury  done,  which,  according 
to  the  common  law,  ‘;an  eye  for  an  eye  ” &c.,  or,  in 
other  words,  according  to  strict  natural  justice, 
might  rightfully  be  punished  by  the  infliction  of  an 
■equivalent  evil  on  the  offender.  He  does  not  palliate 
the  offence,  nor  deny  the  ill-desert  of  the  guilty  party, 
nor  require  that  his  wrong  should  be  considered  right. 
He  addresses  the  injured  party,  the  rightful  com- 
plainant, and  commands  him  to  forgive  his  injurer;  i. 
<e.  not  to  exact  the  infliction  of  the  deserved  punish- 
ment ; not  to  hold  the  offender  punishable  on  his  ac- 
count, but  to  leave  him  as  an  object  of  pity,  even 
though  he  be  one  of  dread,  uninjured — a subject  of 
the  same  kindness  as  if  he  had  committed  no  offence. 
He  is  to  inflict  no  evil  upon  him  on  account  of  his 
trespass.  This  is  human  forgiveness,  as  enjoined  by 
Jesus  on  all  his  followers.  To  enforce  this  he  declares 
that  our  Father  in  heaven  will  forgive  the  forgiving, 
but  will  not  forgive  the  unforgiving.  He  reminds  us 
that  we  have  all  sinned  against  our  Father,  and  are 
justly  punishable  at  his  hands  ; that  the  only  ground 
of  our  acceptance  with  him,  and  of  his  continued 
benefactions,  is  his  grace,  not  our  merit  ; and  that 
we  are  perpetually  entreating  him  to  bless  us  in  spite 
of  our  evil  deserts.  Therefore  he  enjoins  that  we  for- 
give our  fellow  men  their  trespasses  against  us,  as  we 
beseech  God  to  forgive  us  the  sins  we  have  committed 
against  him.  He  requires  that  we  do  unto  others  as 
we  would  that  God  should  do  unto  us.  He  commands 
us  t6  refrain  from  punishing  our  offenders,  and  still 
to  do  them  good,  as  we  would  that  God  should  con- 
tinue to  forbear  with  and  do  us  good,  notwithstanding 


44 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


our  sins.  And  if  we  freely  forgive  while  we  pray  to 
be  forgiven,  this  will  attest  our  sincerity,  and  fit  our 
spirits  for  the  reception  of  the  divine  forgiveness. 
God  will  accept  and  commune  with  us:  for  we  shall 
then  present  no  insuperable  bar  to  his  inflowing  love 
and  mercy.  But  if,  while  ,ve  sue  for  mercy,  we  exer- 
cise nope  towards  the  guilty  ; if  while  we  pray  for  for- 
giveness, we  meditate  vengeance  against  our  offenders; 
if  while  we  ask  to  be  treated  infinitely  better  than  we 
deserve,  we  hold  those  who  have  trespassed  against 
us  punishable  at  our  hands  according  to  their  de- 
serts, we  at  once  betray  our  own  insincerity,  offer 
mockery  to  God,  and  present  an  impassable  bar  of 
hardheartedness  to  his  love  and  mercy.  He  is  essen- 
tially a forgiving  Father,  but  he  will  not,  indeed  can- 
not communicate  his  forgiveness  te  us.  Our  spirit  is- 
in  opposition  to  his  spirit ; we  do  not  worship  him  in 
spirit  and  in  truth  ; we  stand  self-excluded  from  his 
presence — alike  unforgiving  and  unforgiven.  We 
cannot  be  at  peace  with  him,  nor  worship  hint  ac- 
ceptably, nor  taste  the  richness  of  his  grace,  so  long, 
as  we  desire  to  punish  our  offenders.  It  is  only  in 
the  spirit  of  human  forgiveness  that  we  can  receive- 
and  enjoy  the  divine  forgiveness.  Such  is  the  doc- 
trine of  Jesus.  How  blessed  a doctrine  is  it  to  the- 
broken-hearted,  merciful  and  meek  ? How  terrible 
a one  to  the  iron-hearted,  who  delight  in  rigorous 
human  punishment ! Here  the  whole  superstructure- 
of  piety  and  religion  is  baptised  in  the  waters  of  non- 
resistance.  We  cannot  e,ven  pray  in  a punishing 
spirit,  without  insulting  a forgiving  Father,  and  im- 
precating on  our  heads  all  the  deserts  of  our  own 
transgression.  If  we  forgive  not,  but  persist  in 
punishing  them  that  trespass  against  us,  and  yet 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


45 


pray  to  be  forgiven  of  God  as  we  forgive,  we  only  call 
on  God  to  be  as  severe  and  punitive  towards  us,  as 
we  are  towards  our  fellow  men.  How  tremendous  a 
thought  is  this  ! Yet  who  can  evade  it.  Jesus  has 
brought  it  as  a live  coal  from  off  the  alter  of  God,  and 
laid  it  on  our  consciences.  Can  the  utmost  ingenuity 
of  man  avoid  the  conclusion  which  these  precepts  of 
Christ,  respecting  forgiveness,  are  thus  shown  to  war- 
rant? I think  not.  Yet  millions  of  professing 
Christians,  authorize,  aid  and  abet  war,  capital 
punishment  and  the  whole  catalogue  of  penal  injuries. 
Still  they  daily  pray  God  to  forgive  their  trespasses 
as  they  forgive  ! ! The  language  of  the  prophet  Isaiah, 
in  his  58th  chapter,  seems  not  inapplicable  to  them. 
“Cry  aloud,  spare  not ; lift  up  thy  voice  like  a trum- 
pet, and  show  my  people  their  transgressions,  and  the 
house  of  Jacob  their  sins.  Yet  they  seek  me  daily 
and  delight  to  know  my  ways,  as  a nation  that  did 
'righteousness,  and  forsook  not  the  ordinance  of  their 
God  ; they  ask  of  me  the  ordinances  of  justice  ; they 
take  delight  in  approaching  to  God.”  See  the  subse- 
quent verses.  This  drawing  near  to  God  with  the 
lips,  while  the  heart  is  far  from  him,  is  as  common  as 
it  is  reprehensible.  And  in  no  respect  is  it  more  so, 
than  in  meditating  and  executing  punishment  for  of- 
fenses against  ourselves,  whilst  in  humble  supplica- 
tion we  plead  for  the  divine  forgiveness  of  our  own 
transgressions. 

FURTHER  IMPORTANT  PROOFS. 

Another  important  class  of  proof  texts,  corrobora- 
tive of  those  already  cited,  is  the  following:  “My 
^kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  If  my  kingdom  were 
of  this  world,  then  would  my  servants  fight  that  I 
should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews  ; but  now  is  my 


4G 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


kingdom  not  from  heuee.  ” Jno.  18:  36.  Compart* 
this  with  Matt.  10:  16.  “Behold,  I send  you  forth, 
as  sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves:  be  ye  therefore  wise- 
as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves.”  Also  with  Luke 
22:  21 — 26.  “And  there  was  also  a strife  among; 

them,  which  of  them  should  be  accounted  the  great- 
est. And  he  said  unto  them,  The  Kings  of  the  Gen- 
tiles exercise  lordship  over  them  ; and  they  that  ex- 
ercise authority  upon  them  are  called  benefactors.. 
But  ye  shall  not  be  so  : but  he  that  is  greatest  among; 
you,  let  him  be  as  the  younger;  and  he  that  is  chief,, 
as  he  that  doth  serve.”  In  the  same  group  we  may 
include  the  following  : “And  they  went,  and  entered, 
iuto  a village  of  the  Samaritans,  to  make  ready  for 
him.  And  they  did  not  receive  him,  because  his 
face  was  as  though  he  would  go  to  Jerusalem.  And 
when  his  disciples  James  and  Joliu  saw  this, they  said,. 
Lord,  wilt  thou  that  we  command  fire  to  come  down 
from  Heaven,  and  consume  them,  even  as  Elias  did  f 
But  he  turned  and  rebuked  them,  and  said,  Ye  know 
not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of.  For  the  son  of 
man  is  not  come  to  destroy  men’s  lives,  but  to  save 
them.”  Luke  9 : 52-56,  “Then  came  they  and  laid 
hands  on  Jesus,  and  took  him.  And,  behold,  one  of 
them  which  were  with  Jesus,  stretched  out  his  hand, 
and  drew  his  sword,  and  struck  a servant  of  the  high 
priest,  and  smote  off  his  ear.  Then  said  Jesus  unto 
him,  put  up  again  thy  sword  into  his  place  : for  all 
they  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the  ?word. 
Thinkest  thou  that  I cannot  now  pray  to  my  Father, 
and  he  shall  presently  give  me  more  than  twelve 
legions  of  angels.”  Matt.  26  : 50 — 53.  See  also  Jno. 
8:  3 — 11,  the  case  of  the  woman  taken  in  adultery,  and 
brought  to  Jesus  to  see  whether  he  would  adjudge  her 


CHRISTIAN  NON-  RESISTANCE . 


4 T 


to  be  stoned  to  death,  according  to  the  law  of  Moses. 
After  her  accusers  had  declined  excuting  tire  penal- 
ty, Jesus  said — ‘ ‘Neither  do  I condemn  thee,  (i.  e.  to- 
death)  go  and  sin  no  more.'7 

These  and  similar  passages  are  impressive  practical 
comments  on  the  positive  doctrinal  precepts  of  the 
Saviour.  His  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,  and 
therefore  excludes  all  military  and  warlike  defences. 
His  ministers  are  seut  forth  unarmed,  -like  sheep  in 
the  midst  of  wolves.  They  are  therefore  to  be  wise  as- 
serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves.  All  things  must  be- 
conducted  on  the  non-resistant  principle.  There 
must  be  no  political  strife  for  the  highest  place  ; no 
patronizing  lordship  ; no  Gentile  love  of  dominion  ;■ 
but  they  that  really  occupy  the  highest  place,  must 
prove  themselves  worthy  of  it,  by  an  entire  willing- 
ness to  take  the  lowest ; by  governing  only  through 
the  influence  of  useful  service.  Government  must 
doff  its  worldly  insignia,  its  craft  and  its  prerogative 
to  punish,  and  be  vested  in  real  worth — unglorified,, 
unpampered,  and  undistinguished  by  exclusive 
privileges.  This  is  Christian  government.  He  and 
his  followers  might  be  treated  inhospitably,  as  by  the 
Samaritans,  but  no  injury  must  be  returned — not  even 
though  by  a miracle  fire  could  be  commanded  from 
heaven.  No  such  spirit  might  be  indulged.  Because 
the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  destroy  men’s  lives,  but 
to  save  them.  Therefore  non-resistance  of  evil  with 
evil  must  be  the  invariable  rule  of  action  for  his  dis- 
ciples forever.  They  must  never  destroy  men’s  lives, 
but  endeavor  to  save  them.  Even  the  holy  one,  at  his 
betrayal  into  the  hands  of  a mob,  might  not  be  de- 
fended with  the  sword  by  a Peter,  because,  “All  they 
that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the  sword.” 


48 


CHRISTIAN  NON- R ES  [STANCE. 


“The  wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  righteousness 
■of  Gocl.”  Evil  cannot  be  overcome  with  evil. 

How  is  it  possible  to  contemplate  such  clear,  strik- 
ing mutually  sustaining  irrefragable  evidence  of  the 
scriptural  truth  of  Christian  non-resistance,  without 
feeling  the  whole  soul  penetrated  with  profound  con- 
viction. But  still  the  tide  rises  aud  flows  on. 

APOSTOLIC  TESTIMONIES. 

The  Apostles,  having  been  gradually  delivered 
from  their  early  traditionary  and  educational  predis- 
positions for  a temporal  and  military  kingdom,  re- 
nounced all  carnal  weapons,  and  drinking  in  the  hea- 
venly inspiration,  reiterated  the  non-resistance  doc- 
trine of  their  Master:  “ Be  not  conformed  to  this 
world;  but  be  ye  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your 
mind,  that  ye  may  prove  what  is  that  good  and  ac- 
ceptable, and  perfect  will  of  God.”  “Bless  them 
which  persecute  you;  bless,  and  curse  not.”  “Re- 
compense to  no  man  evil  for  evil.  ” “Dearly  beloved, 
avenge  not  yourselves;  but  rather  give  place  unto 
wrath;  for  it  is  written — vengeance  is  mine;  I will  re- 
pay, saith  the  Lord.  Therefore,  if  thine  enemy  hun- 
ger, feed  him;  if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink:  for  in  so 
doing  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head.  Be 
not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with  good.” 
Rom.  12:  2,  14,  17,  19 — 21.  “ Dare  any  of  you,  hav- 

ing a matter  against  another,  go  to  law  before  the  un- 
just, and  not  before  the  saints.”  “Now,  therefore, 
there  is  utterly  a fault  among  you,  because  ye  go  to 
law  one  with  another;  why  do  ye  not  rather  take 
wrong  f Why  do  ye  not  rather  suffer  yourselves  to  be 
defrauded  !”  1 Cor.  6:  1,  7.  “For  though  we  walk 

in  the  flesh,  we  do  mot  war  after  the  flesh.  For  the 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


49 


weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty 
through  God,  to  the  palling  down  of  strong  holds; 
casting  down  imaginations,  and  every  high  tiling  that 
exalteth  itself  against  the  knowledge  of  God,  and 
bringing  into  captivity  every  thought  to  the  obedience 
of  Christ.  ” 2.  Cor.  10:  3 — 5.  “The  fruit  of  the 

Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness, 
goodness,  faith,  meekness,  temperance;  against  such 
there  is  no  law.  And  they  that  are  Christ’s  have  cru- 
cified the  tiesh,  with  the  affections  and  lusts.  If  we 
live  in  the  Spirit,  let  us  also  walk  in  the  Spirit.  ” 
Gal.  5:  22 — 25.  “ Be  ye  angry  and  sin  not:  let  not  the 
sun  go  down  upon  your  wrath.  ’’  “ Let  all  bitterness, 
and  wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamor,  and  evil  speaking 
be  put  away  from  you,  with  all  malice.  ” Ephes.  4: 
26,  31.  “ Put  on  therefore,  as  the  elect  of  God,  holy 

and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  humbleness 
of  mind,  meekness,  long  suffering.  ” Col.  3:  12.  “See 
that  none  render  evil  for  evil  unto  any  man;  but  ever 
follow  that  which  is  good,  both  among  yourselves  and 
to  all  men.  ” 1 Thes.  5:  15.  “Let  us  run  with  pa- 

tience the  race  set  before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus,  the 
author  and  finisher  of  our  faith;  who  for  the  joy  that 
was  set  before  him,  endured  the  cross,  despising  the 
shame,  and  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
throne  of  God.  ” “For  consider  him  that  endured 
such  contradiction  of  sinners  against  himself,  lest  ye 
be  wearied  and  faint  in  your  minds  ! ” “ Follow 

peace  with  all  men,  and  holiness,  without  which  no 
man  shall  see  the  Lord.  ” Heb.  12:  1,  2,  3,  14.  “ My 
beloved  brethren,  let  every  man  be  swift  to  hear,  slow 
to  speak,  slow  to  wrath:  for  the  wrath  of  man  worketh 
not  the  righteousness  of  God.  ” James  1:  19,  20. 
" From  whence  come  wars  and  fightings  among  you  ? 


50 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


Come  they  not  hence,  even  of  your  lusts  that  war  in 
your  members  ? ’ ’ “Submit  yourselves  therefore  to 
God.  Resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  tiee  from  you.  ” 
lb.  4:  1,  7.  “This  is  thank-worthy,  if  a man  for  con- 
science towards  God,  endure  grief,  suffering  wrong- 
fully. For  what  glory  is  it,  if  when  ye  be  buffeted 
for  your  faults,  ye  shall  take  it  patiently  ? But  if, 
when  ye  do  well,  and  suffer  for  it,  ye  take  it  patiently, 
this  is  acceptable  with  God.  For  even  hereunto  were 
ye  called;  because  Christ  also  suffered  for  us,  leaving 
us  an  example,  that  ye  should  follow  his  steps:  who 
did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth:  who 
when  he  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again;  when  he  suf- 
fered, he  threatened  not;  but  committed  himself 
to  him  that  judgeth  righteously.”  1 Peter.  2:  19 
— 23.  “And  who  is  he  that  will  harm  you,  if  ye  be 
followers  of  that  which  is  good  ? But  if  ye  suffer  for 
righteousness  sake,  happy  are  ye;  and  be  not  afraid  of 
their  terror,  neither  be  troubled.  ” “For  it  is  better, 
if  the  will  of  God  be  so,  that  ye  suffer  for  well-doing 
than  for  evil  doing.  For  Christ  also  hath  once  suf- 
fered for  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust.  ” lb.  3:  13,  14, 
17,  18.  Also,  lb.  4:  13 — 19.  “He  that  saith  he 
abideth  in  him,  ought  himself  also  to  walk,  even  as  he 
walked.  He  that  saith  he  is  in  the  light,  and  hateth 
his  brother,  is  in  darkness  even  until  now,  * * * 
and  walketh  in  darkness,  and  knoweth  not  whither 
he  goeth,  because  that  darkness  hath  blinded  his 
mind.”  1 Jno.  2:6,  11.  “ He  that  loveth  not  his 

brother  abideth  in  death.  Whosoever  hateth  his 
brother  is  a murderer,  and  ye  know  that  no  murderer 
hath  eternal  life  abiding  in  him.”  Ib.  3:  14,  15. 
“Ro  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time.  If  we  love  one 
another,  God  dwelleth  in  us,  and  his  love  is  perfected 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


51 


in  us.  ’’  “ If  a man  say  I love  God,  and  liateth  liis 

brother,  he  is  a liar;  for  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother 
whom  he  hath  seen,  how  can  he  love  God  whom  he 
hath  not  seen  ? ” lb.  4:  12,  20. 

GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  EVIDENCE. 

Is  it  possible  to  read  these  quotations  without  an  ir- 
resistable  conviction  of  their  perfect  harmony  with 
the  teachings  of  the  Saviour  on  this  great  subject  ? 
Cau  we  doubt  that  they  all  proceeded  from  the  same 
Divine  source?  And  now  what  was  the  example  of 
Jesus  ? What  was  the  practice  of  the  Apostles,  after 
the  resurrection  of  Christ,  when  fully  endued  with 
power  and  grace  from  on  high  ? Did  they  ever  slay 
any  human  being?  Ever  threaten  to  do  so?  Ever 
make  use  of  any  deadly  weapon  ? Ever  serve  in  the 
Army  or  Navy  of  any  nation,  state  or  chieftain?  Ever 
seek  or  accept  any  office,  legislative,  judicial  or  execu- 
tive, under  the  existing  governments  of  their  day  ? 
Ever  make  complaint  to  the  magistrates  against  any 
offender  or  criminal,  in  order  to  procure  his  punish- 
ment? Ever  commence  any  prosecution  at  law,  to 
obtain  redress  of  grievances?  Ever  apply  to  the  civil 
or  military  authority  to  protect  them  by  force  of  arms 
when  in  imminent  danger  ? Or  ever  counsel  others  to 
do  any  one  of  these  acts  ? Did  they  ever  express,  by 
word  or  deed,  their  reliance  on  political,  military  or 
penal  power  to  secure  personal  protection  or  to  carry 
forward  the  Christianization  of  the  world?  I answer 
confidently,  no.  But  let  every  one  be  fully  persuaded 
in  his  own  mind.  Let  the  New  Testament  be  thorough- 
ly searched  with  reference  to  tnese  questions.  If  it 
shall  be  found  that  I am  correct,  let  the  opposersof 
non-resistance  make  up  their  minds  to  yield.  For  if 


52 


CHRIST  I AN  NON-RESISTANCE . 


precept  and  practice,  spirit  and  example,  go  together 
throughout  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament,  the 
case  is  decided  beyond  controversy.  Iam  aware  of 
the  objections  urged  with  so  much  desperation  from 
such  texts  as  that  which  speaks  of  the  scourge  of  small 
cords,  that  which  mentions  the  direction  of  Jesus  to 
buy  swords,  Paul’s  appeal  to  Cresar,  his  notification 
of  the  chief  captain  when  the  forty  men  conspired  to 
slay  him,  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  Romans,  &c.  Nei- 
ther of  these,  nor  all  of  them  together,  will  serve  the 
objector’s  purpose,  as  I shall  demonstrate  in  the  next 
chapter.  On  the  other  hand,  we  are  able  to  show  a 
series  of  examples,  indeed  a life,  conformable  to  the 
doctrine  of  non-resistance.  And  we  are  also  able 
to  show  that  this  doctrine  practically  prevailed  among 
the  primitive  Christians  for  a considerable  time  subse- 
quent to  the  apostolic  age. 

Look  at  Jesus  in  the  temptation.  He  was  offered 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world.  But  on  what  condi- 
tion ? Provided  only  he  would  fall  down  and  worship 
the  Tempter.  Is  not  this  essentially  the  condition  on 
which  his  followers  have  ever  been  offered  worldly 
political  power  ? There  is  a spirit  which  animates 
and  characterizes  carnal  human  government.  It  is 
the  destroying  spirit— the  angel  of  injury,  the  old  ser- 
pent of  violence.  This  is  the  grand  controlling  pow- 
er underneath  the  throne,  the  dernier  resort,  the  ulti- 
mate indispensable  reliance  of  all  mere  worldly  au- 
thority. And  he  is  accounted  a fool  who  supposes 
there  can  be  any  such  thing  as  government  among 
mankind  without  it.  Consequently  its  solemn  ac- 
knowledgment is  now,  as  ever,  the  condition  on  which 
men  must  take  the  sceptre,  or  assume  the  seals  of  of- 
fice. He  who  would  rule,  must  first  worship  this  gen- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


53 


ins  of  violence — must  swear  to  support  his  authority 
with  sword  and  penal  vengeance.  Jesus  chose  the 
pain  and  shame  of  the  cross,  in  preference  to  the 
fame  and  glory  of  universal  empire  on  such  a condi- 
tion. It  was  no  inducement  with  him,  that  all  the 
world  should  take  his  name,  and  verbally  confess  him 
Lord,  while  at  heart  and  in  practice  they  served  the 
evil  spirit.  He  would  not  be  a king  of  nations,  when 
he  could  not  be  a king  of  hearts  and  consciences.  He 
would  not  do  evil  that  good  might  come;  because  his 
kingdom  was  not  of  this  world,  but  was  essentially 
one  of  righteousness  and  peace.  So  he  spurned  an  of- 
fered sceptre,  and  left  it  in  hands  which  he  knew 
would  ere  long  baptize  him  in  his  own  non-resistant 
blood.  For  the  same  reason,  when  he  perceived  the 
determination  of  the  people  to  proclaim  him  a king, 
he  promptly  placed  himself  beyond  their  reach.  Xor 
would  he  be  a “ judge  and  a divider,  ” among  the 
people.  Xor  when  he  alone  stood  up  in  innocence  to 
pass  a rightful  condemnation  on  the  adulterous  wo- 
man, would  he  pronounce  the  deadly  sentence  or  raise 
the  destroying  stone  'When  a violent  multitude,  led 
on  by  his  betrayer,  came  to  seize  him  in  the  prayerful 
solitude  of  Gethsemane,  he  raised  not  a weapon  of  de- 
fence. But  he  rebuked  his  mistaken  disciple  for 
drawing  the  sword,  healed  the  wound  he  had  inflicted, 
and  taught  him  that  all  who  take  must  perish  with 
the  sword.  So  he  suffered  himself  to  be  “led  as  a 
sheep  dumb  before  the  shearers,  ” and  “as  a lamb  to, 
the  slaughter.  ” They  stripped  him  of  his  raiment,, 
attired  him  in  a mock  royal  robe,  crowned  him  with 
thorns,  smote  him,  spit  upon  him,  sentenced  him 
without  cause  to  death,  nailed  him  to  the  cross  be- 
tween two  malefactors,  tormented  him  in  his  agonies, 


54 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


and  followed  him  to  the  verge  of  life  with  all  the  ven- 
em  of  a murderous  hate.  Yet  never  a word  of  threat- 
ening, reviling,  cursing  or  bitterness  escaped  him. 
With  a meek  and  sorrowful  dignity  he  bore  all;  and 
at  the  moment  when  he  could  have  summoned  legions 
of  angels  to  his  rescue,  and  to  the  destruction  of  his 
foes,  lo,  he  uttered  that  last  victorious  prayer: — 
“Father  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do.”  The  mourning  heavens  in  silence  heard.  Then 
came  the  expiring  groan — not  to  seal  the  just  perdi- 
tion of  a murderous  world,  but  as  the  awful  amen  of 
the  Yew  Covenant,  and  the  signal  of  complete  triumph 
over  hatred,  sin  and  death  ! 

THE  PRIMITIVE  CHRISTIANS. 

If  we  enter  among  the  evangelists  and  apostles  of 
the  Crucified,  and  inquire  how  they  lived  and  died, 
what  will  be  the  response  ? “God  hath-  set  forth  us 
the  apostles  last,  as  it  were  appointed  unto  death  : for 
we  are  made  a spectacle  unto  the  world,  and  to  angels, 
and  to  men,”  “We  both  hunger  and  thirst,  and  are 
naked,  and  are  buffeted,  and  have  no  certain  dwell- 
ing place.”  “ Being  reviled,  webless;  being  perse- 
cuted, we  suffer  it ; being  defamed,  we  entreat ; we 
♦e  made  as  the  tilth  of  the  world,  the  offscouring  of 
all  things.”  Stephen  was  stoned  to  death,  calling  on 
the  Saviour  to  receive  his  spirit,  and  with  the  holy 
prayer  on  his  lips.  “Lord  lay  not  this  sin  to  their 
charge.”  James  was  slain  with  the  sword,  Peter 
crucified,  Paul  beheaded,  and  innumerable  martyrs 
brought  to  seal  their  testimony  with  their  blood. 
But  in  those  days  they  suffered  all  things  for  the  sake 
of  the  cross,  and  inflicted  nothing.  Always  heroic 
for  the  truth,  yet  meek,  patient  and  non-resistant, 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


55 


they  exemplified  in  a wonderful  manner  the  depth 
and  strength  of  their  Christian  principles.  Never  do 
we  find  them  aspiring  to  places  of  power  ; never  dis- 
tinguishing themselves  in  the  army ; never  wheed- 
ling and  coaxing  the  worldly  great  to  shed  on  them 
the  renown  of  their  official  influence  ; never  engaged 
in  rebellions,  riots,  tumults,  or  seditions  ; never  trust- 
ing in  carnal  weapons  for  the  security  of  their  persons, 
not  even  in  the  most  barbarous  and  ruffian-like  so- 
ciety ; never  cursing,  reviling,  or  iusulting  even  their 
persecutors.  Such  were  the  apostles  and  primitive 
-Clmstiaus.  They  had  learned  of  Jesus  ; and  non-re- 
sistance, for  the  first  two  centuries,  was  the  practical 
orthodoxy  of  the  church.  Justin  Martyr,  early 
in  the  second  century,  declared  the  devil  to  be  the 
author  of  all  war.  Tertullian  denounced  the  bearing 
of  arms,  saying,  shall  he  who  is  not  to  avenge  his 
own  wrongs,  be  instrumental  in  bringing  others  into 
■chains,  imprisonment,  torment,  death?”  Lactantius 
declares: — “It  can  never  be  lawful  for  a righteous 
man  to  go  to  war,  whose  warfare  is  in  righteousness 
itself,’ ’ “We  find,”  says  Clarkson,  “from  Athenago- 
ras  and  other  early  writers,  that  the  Christians  of 
their  times  abstained,  when  they  were  struck,  from 
striking  again;  and  that  they  carried  their  principles 
so  far,  as  even  to  refuse  to  go  to  law  with  those  who 
injured  them.”  The  language  of  those  primitive 
Christians  was  in  this  strain  : — -One  says,  “It  is  not 
lawful  for  a Christian  to  bear  arms.”  Another — 

“Because  I am  a Christain,  I have  abandoned  my 
profession  of  a soldier.”  A third— “I  am  a Chris- 
tain, and  therefore  I cannot  fight  ?”  A fourth,  Maxi- 
millian: — “I  cannot  figbt,  if  I die:  I am  not  a soldier 
of  this  world,  but  a soldier  of  God.”  And  in  his 
.fidelity  he  died  by  the  hands  of  military  tyranny. 


56 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


TESTIMONY  OF  CEESUS  AND  GIBBON. 

Celsus,  a heathen  philosopher,  wrote  an  elaborate 
work  against  the  Christians,  about  the  middle  of  the 
second  century.  One  of  his  grave  allegations  was  in 
the  following  words: — “You  will  not  bear  arms  in  the 
service  of  the  empire  when  your  services  are  needed, 
and  if  all  the  nations  should  act  upon  this  principle, 
the  empire  would  be  overruu  by  the  barbarians.” 

Gibbon,,  the  popular  English  historian  of  the  de  ■ 
dining  Roman  empire,  a skeptic  as  to  Christianity, 
incidentally  eomtirnu  the  fact  that  the  early  Chris- 
tians were  unequivocal  non-resistants.  “The  defence 
of  our  persons  and  property  they  knew  not  how  to 
reconcile  with  the  patient  doctrine,  that  enjoined  an 
unlimited  forgiveness  of  past  injuries,  and  command- 
ed them  to  invite  fresh  insults.  Their  simplicity  was 
offended  by  the  use  of  oaths,  by  the  pomp  of  magis- 
tracy, and  by  the  active  contention  of  public  life  ; nor 
could  their  humane  ignorance  be  convinced  that  it 
was  lawful,  on  any  occasion,  to  shed  the  blood  of 
their  fellow  creatures,  either  by  the  sword  of  justice 
or  that  of  war,  even  though  their  criminal  and  hostile 
attempts  should  threaten  the  whole  community.”  * 
* * * “They  felt  and  confessed  that  such  institu- 
tions [life-taking,  &c.]  might  be  necessary  for  the 
present  system  of  the  world,  and  they  cheerfully  sub- 
mitted to  the  authority  of  their  Pagan  Governors. 
But  while  they  inculcated  the  maxims  of  passive  obedi- 
ence, they  refused  to  take  any  active  part  in  the  civil 
administration,  or  military  defence  of  the  empire.” 
Vol.  I p.  24.  “The  humble  Christians  were  sent  into 
the  world  as  sheep  among  wolves,  and  since  they  were 
not  permitted  to  employ  force,  even  in  the  defence  of 


CHRISTIAN  NON- RESISTANCE . 


sr 


their  religion,  they  deemed  that  they  should  be  still 
more  criminal,  if  they  were  tempted  to  shed  the 
blood  of  their  fellow  creatures  in  disputing  the  vain 
privileges  or  the  sordid  possessions  of  this  transitory 
life.  Faithful  to  the  doctrine  of  the  apostle,  who  in 
the  reign  of  Nero  had  preached  the  duty  of  uncondi- 
tional submission,  the  Chirstians  of  the  first  t n roe 
centuries  preserved  their  conscience  pure  and  inno- 
cent of  the  guilt  of  secret  conspiracy  or  open  rebellion. 
While  they  experienced  the  rigor  of  persecution,  they 
were  never  provoked  either  to  meet  their  tyrants  in 
the  field,  or  indignantly  to  withdraw  themselves  into 
some  remote  and  sequestered  corner  of  the  globe.” 
Yol.  II.  p.  200. 

Can  there  be  any  doubt  that  Jesus  Christ,  his  apostles 
and  the  primitive  Christians  held,  taught  and  exemp- 
lified the  doctrine  for  which  I am  contending?  Is  not 
the  scriptural  proof  of  its  truth  abundant,  positive, 
unequivocal  and  irresistible?  Tt  seems  to  me  that  it 
is.  I therefore  commend  what  has  been  submitted  to 
the  deliberate  consideration  of  all  candid  minds,  whose 
veneration  for  and  attachment  to  the  Scriptures  give 
their  testimony  the  least  weight  in  determining  such, 
a question. 


58 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


CHAPTEK  III. 

Scriptural  Objections  Answered. 

Obj.  1.  You  throw  away  the  Old  Testament— Voice  of 
ithe  New  Testament— Voice  of  the  Old  Testament— 
Obj.  2 The  scourge  of  small  cords—  Obj.  3.  The  two 
swords — Obj.  4.  The  death  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira — 
Obj.  5.  Human  government — Thirteenth  of  Romans 
— How  the  apostles  viewed  the  then  existing  govern- 
ments— Submission  to,  not  participation  in  governments 
enjoined  on  Christians — In  what  sense  the  powers  that  be 
are  ordained  of  God— Pharaoh  God’s  “minister  ” — Also 
the  monarch  of  Assyria — Also  Nebuchadnezzar— The  Po- 
man  government — Respects  wherein  government  is  or. 
dained  of  God — Paul’s  conduct  in  relation  to  government 
— Conclusion. 

I devote  the  present  chapter  to  the  consideration  of 
Scriptural  Objections.  Our  doctrine  is  obviously 
sustained  by  the  most  abundant  and  convincing  proofs 
from  the  scriptures  of  the  New  Testament.  It  forces 
a degree  of  conviction  on  many  minds  by  no  means 
prepared  for  the  great  practical  change  involved,  or 
even  for  a cordial  assent  to  the  doctrine  itself.  Hence 
they  fall  back  behind  certain  apparently  formidable 
objections,  urged  by  more  determined  opponents  from 
the  scriptures.  They  demand  that  these  should  be 
satisfactorily  answered.  It  is  only  fair  that  it  should 
be  done. 

■OBJECTION  I. — ArOU  THROW  AWAY  THE  OLD  TESTA- 
MENT. 

‘You  cpiote  exclusively  from  the  scriptures  of  the 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


59 


New  Testament,  to  prove  the  non-resistance  doctrine. 
Those  of  the  Old  Testament  are  unequivocally  against 
it.  They  afford  abundant  precepts  and  examples  in 
justification  of  war,  capital  punishment,  and  various 
forms  of  penal  restraint  on  criminals.  Is  not  the  whole 
Bible  the  word  of  God  % Do  you  throw  away  and 
trample  under  foot  the  Old  Testament  % If  your  doc- 
trine were  of  God,  it  would  be  equally  proveable  from 
both  Testaments.  ” 

Answer.  It  is  true  that  I have  quoted  exclusively 
from  the  scriptures  of  the  New  Testament,  to  prove 
the  doctrine  of  Christian  non-resistance.  And  I grant 
that  those  of  the  Old  Testament,  with  a few  unimpor- 
tant exceptions,  are  unequivocally  against  it,  i.  e., 
taken  independently  of  the  Christian  revelation.  I al- 
so admit  the  whole  Bible,  properly  considered  and  in- 
terpreted, to  be  in  a general  sense  the  word  of  God. 
But  I do  not  admit  the  Old  Testament  to  be  as  clearly, 
fully  and  perfectly  the  word  of  God  as  the  New  Testa- 
ment; nor  to  be  of  equal  authority  with  the  latter,  on 
questions  of  doctrine  and  duty;  nor  to  be  the  rule  of 
faith  and  practice  for  Christians.  It  is  to  be  held  in 
reverence  as  the  prophecy  and  preparative  of  the  New 
Testament — the  fore  shadow  of  better  things  to  come. 
If  I can  prove  this  to  be  the  true  character  and  office 
of  the  Old  Testament,  I shall  thereby  silence  the  ob- 
jection before  us.  Not  only  so,  I shall  demonstrate 
that  I pay  the  highest  respect  to  both  Testaments; 
and  that  those  who  claim  for  the  Old  an  equal  author- 
ity with  the  New,  discredit  both.  Let  us  settle  this 
point.  The  scriptures  of  the  two  Testaments  shall 
speak  for  themselves.  What  they  say  of  each  other 
must  determine  the  matter. 


60 


CHRISTIAN’  NON  - RES  ISTANCE . 


VOICE  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 

We  will  commence  with  the  New  Testament.  “God,, 
who  at  sundry  times,  and  in  divers  manners,  spake 
in  time  past  unto  the  fathers  by  the  prophets,  hath  in 
these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  his  Son,  whom  lie- 
hath  appointed  heir  of  all  things,  by  whom  also  he 
made  the  worlds.”  Heb.  1:  1,  2.  “ Wherefore, 

holy  brethren,  partakers  of  the  heavenly  calling,  con- 
sider the  Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  profession, 
Christ  Jesus;  who  was  faithful  to  him  that  appointed 
him,  as  also  Moses  in  all  his  house.  For  this  man 
was  counted  worthy  of  more  glory  than  Moses,  inas- 
much as  he  that  builded  the  house,  hath  more  honor 
than  the  house.  ” “ Moses  verily  was  faithful  in  all 

his  house  as  a servant,  for  a testimony  of  those  things 
which  were  to  be  spoken  after.  But  Christ  as  a Son- 
over  his  own  house,  whose  house  are  we,  &c.,  Ib.  .'J:  1,. 
2,  3,  5,  6.  u For  if  perfection  were  by  the  Levitical 
priesthood,  (for  under  it  the  people  received  the  law,) 
what  further  need  was  there  that  another  priest  should 
arise  after  the  order  of  Melchisedec,  and  not  be  called 
after  the  order  of  Aaron  1 For  the  priesthood  being 
changed,  there  is  made  of  necessity  a change  of  the 
law.”  u There  is  verily  a disannulling  of  the  com- 
mandment going  before,  for  the  weakness  and  un- 
profitableness thereof.  For  the  law  made  nothing 
perfect,  but  the  bringing  in  of  a better  hope  did;  by 
the  which  we  draw  nigh  to  Cfod.  ” 11  By  so ’much  was 

Jesus  made  the  surety  of  a better  Testament.  ” Ib. 
7:  11,  12,  18,  19,  22.  ‘‘But  now  hath  he  obtained  a 
more  excellent  ministry  than  they,  by  how  much  also 
lie  is  the  mediator  of  a better  covenant,,  which  was 
established  upon  better  promises.  Four  if  that  first 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE.  61 

Covenant  had  been  faultless,  then  should  no  place 
have  been  sought  for  the  second.  For,  finding  fault 
with  them,  he  saith,  Behold  the  days  come,  saith  the 
Lord,  AA'hen  I will  make  a new  covenant  Avith  the  house 
of  Israel,  and  with  the  house  of  Judah;  not  according 
to  the  covenant  that  I made  Avith  their  fathers,  in  the 
day  Avlien  I took  them  by  the  hand,  to  lead  them  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  &c.  * * * After  those  days, 
saith  the  Lord,  I will  put  my  1aa\-s  into  their  mind, 
and  write  them  in  their  hearts;  and  I will  be  to  them 
a God,  and  they  shall  be  to  me  a people,  ” &c.  “ In 

that  he  saith,  a new  covenant,  he  hath  made  the  first 
old.  Now  that  Avhich  decayeth  and  waxeth  old  is 
ready  to  vanish  away.  ” lb.  8:  6,  13.  See  lb.  10:  1, 
'2.  “ Wherefore  then  serveth  the  Laav  ? It  was  added 

because  of  transgressions  till  the  seed  should  come  to 
whom  the  promise  was  made.”  “But  before  faith 
•came  A\  e Avere  kept  under  the  laAv,  shut  up  unto  the 
faith  which  should  afterward, s_be  revealed.  Where- 
fore the  law  was  our  school-master  to  bring  us  unto 
Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith.  But  after 
f hat  faith  is  come,  Ave  are  no  longer  under  a school- 
master. ” Gal.  3:  19,  23,  25.  “Whereby,  when  ye 
read,  ye  may  understand  my  knowledge  in  the  mys- 
tery of  Christ,  which  in  other  ages  was  not  made 
known  unto  the  sons  of  men,  as  it  is  now  revealed  un- 
to his  holy  apostles  and  prophets  by  the  Spirit.  ” 
Ephes.  3:4,5.  “Not  that  we  are  sufficient  of  our- 
selves to  think  any  thing  as  of  oursehTes;  but  our  suf- 
ficiency is  of  God;  who  also  hath  made  us  able  minis- 
ters of  the  Nety  Testament;  not  of  the  letter,  but  of 
the  spirit:  for  the  letter  killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth 
life.  But  if  the  ministration  of  death,  written  and 
•engraven  in  stones,  was  glorious,  so  that  the  children 


62 


CHRISTIAN  NON-  RESISTANCE. 


of  Israel  could  not  steadfastly  behold  the  face  of 
Moses  for  the  glory  of  his  countenance;  which  glory  was 
to  be  done  away;  how  shall  not  the  ministration  of  the 
Spirit  be  rather  glorious  ? ” “ For  even  that  which 

was  made  glorious,  had  no  glory  in  this  respect,  by 
reason  of  the  glory  which  excelleth.  ” “ Seeing  then 

that  we  have  such  hope,  we  use  great  plainness  of 
speech,  and  not  as  Moses,  who  put  a veil  over  his  face, 
that  the  children  of  Israel  could  not  steadfastly  look 
to  the  end  of  that  which  is  abolished.  But  their 
minds  were  blinded;  for  until  this  dajyremaineth  the 
same  veil  untaken  away  in  the  reading  of  the  Old 
Testament;  which  veil  is  done  away  in  Christ.  But 
even  unto  this  day,  when  Moses  is  read,  the  veil  is 
upon  their  heart.  ” 2 Cor.  3:  5 — 8,  10 — 15.  ‘ 1 Hav- 

ing, therefore,  obtained  help  of  God,  I continue  unto 
this  day  witnessing  both  to  small  and  great,  saying 
noue  other  things  than  those  which  the  prophets  and 
Moses  did  say  should  come.  That  Christ  should  suf- 
fer, and  that  he  should  be  the  first  that  should  rise 
from  the  dead,  and  should  show  light  unto  the  people, 
and  to  the  Gentiles.”  Acts  26:22,  23.  “Foras- 
much as  we  have  heard,  that  certain  which  went  out 
from  us  have  troubled  you  saying,  Ye  must  be  cir- 
cumcised and  keep  the  law;  to  w hom  we  gave  no  such 
commandment.  ” “ For  it  seemed  good  to  the  Holy 

Ghost,  and  to  us,  to  lay  upon  you  no  greater  burden 
than  these  necessary  things:  That  ye  abstain  from 
meats  offered  to  idols,  and  from  blood,  and  from  things 
strangled,  and  from  fornication:  from  which  if  ye  keep 
yourselves,  ye  shall  do  well.  ” lb.  15:  21,  29.  “And 
by  him  all  that  believe  are  justified  from  all  things, 
from  which  ye  could  not  be  justified  by  the  law  of 
Moses.”  Ib.  13;  39.  “For  Moses  truly  said  unto 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


63 


the  fathers,  a Prophet  shall  the  the  Lord  your  God 
arise  up  unto  you  of  your  brethren,  like  unto  me;  him 
shall  ye  hear  iu  all  things,  whatsoever  he  shall  say 
unto  you.  Yea,  and  all  the  prophets  from  Samuel, 
aud  those  that  follow  after,  have  likewise  foretold  of 
these  days.  ” lb.  3:22,  24.  “Do  not  think  that  I 
will  accuse  you  to  the  Father;  there  is  one  that-  ac- 
cuseth  you,  even  Moses,  in  whom  ye  trust.  For  had 
ye  believed  Moses,  ye  would  have  believed  me:  for  he 
wrote  of  me.  But  if  ye  believe  not  his  writings  how 
shall  ye  believe  my  word.  ” John  5:  45 — 47.  “ We 

have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  the 
prophets  did  write.  ” John  3:  45  “ These  are  the 

words  which  I spake  unto  you,  while  I was  yet  with 
you,  that  all  things  must  be  fulfilled  which  were 
written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  the  prophets,  and  in 
the  Psalms,  concerning  me.”  Luke  24:44  “The 
law  and  the  prophets  were  until  John;  since  that  time 
the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and  every  man 
presseth  into  it.  ” lb.  16:  16.  “Among  those  that 
are  born  of  women,  there  is  not  a greater  prophet  than 
John  the  Baptist;  but  he  that  is  least  in  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  greater  than  he.  ” lb.  7 : 28,  “ There  was  a 
man  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John.  He  was 
not  that  Light1  but  sent  to  bear  witness  of  that  Light, 
the  true  Light  which  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh 
into  the  world.  ” “John  bore  witness  of  him,  and 
cried,  saying,  This  was  he  of  whom  I spake,  He  that 
cometh  after  me  is  preferred  before  me:  for  he  was  be- 
fore me.”  “ For  the  law  was  given  by  Moses,  but 
grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus  Christ.  Ho  man  hath 
seen  God  at  any  time;  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is 
in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared  him.  ” 
John  1:  6 — 8,  15,  17,  18.  “ John  answered  and  said. 


(34 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


A man  can  receive  nothing,  except  it  be  given  him 
from  heaven.  ” “ He  [Christ]  must  increase,  but  I 

must  decrease.  He  that  cometh  from  above,  is  above 
all.  ” For  God  giveth  not  the  Spirit  by  measure  un- 
to him.  ” John  3:  27,  31,  34. 

Such  is  the  testimony  of  the  New  Testament  Scrip- 
tures. The  objector  professes  to  hold  them,  at  least, 
equally  authorative  with  those  of  the  Old  Testament, 
and  to  receive  the  entire  Bible  as  the  word  of  God. 
Now,  does  he  implicitly  believe  what  is  declared  in 
the  forecited  passages?  Does  he  believe  that  “ Christ 
was  counted  worthy  of  more  glory  than  Moses;  ’ * that 
Moses  was  “ a servant,  but  Christ  a son  over  his  own 
house:”  that  “perfection  was  not  by  the  Levitical 
priesthood:”  that  Christ  is  the  great  “High  Priest 
after  the  order  of  Melchisedec:  ” that  “the  priesthood 
being  changed,  there  is  made  of  necessity  a change  of 
the  law:  ” that  the  old  “ law  made  nothing  perfect:  ” 
that  Jesus  was  made  the  surety  of  a better  Testament 
— the  mediator  of  a better  covenant:  that  the  old  cove- 
nant was  faulty,  that  it  waxed  old  and  was  ready  to 
“ vanish  away:  ” that  the  law  was  a mere  “ school- 
master to  bring  mankind  to  Christ:”  that  the  New 
Testament  is  not  of  “ the  letter  which  killeth,  but  of 
the  spirit  which  giveth  life:  ” that  the  law  was  “a 
ministration  of  death,  ” whose  “ glory  was  to  be  done 
away:  ” that  the  Christian  dispensation  “ excelleth 
in  gl'oiy:  ” that  the  end  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation 
was  to  be  “ abolished:  ” that  a v^eil  remaineth  nntaken 
away  from  a certain  Judaizing  class  of  minds  in  read- 
ing the  Old  Testament,  “which  veil  is  done  away  in 
■Christ:  ” that  Moses  and  the  prophets  wrote  of  Christ: 
that  Moses  wrote  of  him  when  he  announced  the  fu- 
ture coming  of  a prophet,  whom  the  people  should 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


65 


“hear  in  all  things:”  that  the  law  and  the  pro- 
phets were  until  John  the  Baptist,  and  then  the  king- 
dom of  God  was  preached:  that  John  was  greatest 
among  prophets  previously  born,  an 3 yet  inferior  to 
the  least  in  the  gospel  kingdom:  that  Christ  was  be- 
fore and  above  John — from  heaven  and  above  all — 
endowed  with  the  Spirit  beyond  measure — the  true 
“ light  of  the  world?  ” If  he  believes  all  this,  what 
becomes  of  his  objection  ? If  he  believes  it  not,  what 
becomes  of  the  New  Testament  ? 

VOICE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

And  what  says  the  Old  Testament  ? Does  it  contra- 
dict the  testimony  of  the  New?  Does  it  represent  it- 
self as  the  perfect  and  final  revelation  of  God  respect- 
ing divine  truth,  human  duty  and  destiny  ? Does  it 
claim  a higher  mission,  or  more  permanent  authority, 
than  is  ascribed  to  it  in  the  New  ? Does  not  Moses 
predict  Christ,  and  enjoin  that  he  shall  be  heard  in 
all  things  ? Do  not  the  prophets  foreshow  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah,  and  the  establishment  of  a new  coven- 
ant, superior  to  that  of  Sinai  ? Do  not  all  the  types 
and  shadows  of  the  old  dispensation  presuppose  a new 
and  more  glorious  one?  Is  there  any  need  of  my 
quoting  texts  from  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  to 
this  effect?  No;  the  objector  will  not  demand  it. 
He  will  spare  me  the  labor.  For  he  must  admit  the 
obvious  truth.  To  doubt  it  would  be  to  doubt  the  di- 
vine inspiration  of  both  Testaments,  and  thus  to  do 
the  very  thing  he  so  much  deprecates — discredit  the 
whole  Bible.  If  then,  the  New  Testament  claims  to 
supersede  the  Old,  aud  the  Old,  by  prophecy,  type 
and  shadow,  announced  beforehand  the  coming  in  of 
a more  glorious  dispensation  than  itself,  viz.  the  New, 


66 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


the  point,  is  settled  forever.  The  New  Testament 
supersedes  the  .Old  on  all  questions  of  divine  truth 
and  human  duty.  In  affirming  this,  I only  affirm 
what  both  Testaments  unequivocally  declare  respect- 
ing themselves  and  each  other.  To  question  it  is  virtu- 
ally to  question  the  credibility  of  both.  To  affirm 
the  contrary  is  to  charge  falsehood  on  both.  Instead, 
therefore,  of  throwing  away  the  Old  Testament,  I re- 
ceive its  testimony  and  render  it  a just  reverence. 
By  looking  to  the  New  Testament  and  accepting  it  as 
my  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  I rendered  the  most 
honorable  obedience  to  the  teachings  of  the  Old. 
Whereas  they  who  turn  back  from  the  perfection  of 
the  New  to  the  imperfection  of  the  Old — from  the 
substance  to  the  shadow — from  sunlight  to  lamp- 
light, to  determine  their  Christian  duty,  trample  on 
both  Testaments,  and  invalidate  the  whole  Bible. 
They  believe  neither;  they  obey  neither. 

In  this  view  of  the  subject,  the  Old  Testament,  be 
ing  in  its  nature  and  design  a prophecy  and  fore- 
shadow of  the  New,  is  not  against  but  for  non-resist- 
ance; notwithstanding  the  auti- non- resistant  character, 
for  the  time,  of  its  particular  precepts  and  examples. 
Because  it  is,  or-  the  whole,  for  Christ  and  the  su- 
preme authority  of  his  teachings,  non-resistance  in- 
cluded. It  is  for  the  New  Testament  with  all  its  pe- 
culiarities, and  for  the  excellency  of  the  glorious  gos- 
pel. Who  can  gainsay  this?  Hence,  for  professed 
Christians  to  quote  its  precepts  and  examples  as  ap- 
plicable to  the  present  dispensation,  is  not  only  a 
gross  perversion,  but  a kind  of  pious  fraud — not  to  be 
tolerated  for  a moment.  That  man  can  be  no  friend 
to  the  Old  Testament,  who  drags  it  into  overbearing 
conflict  with  the  New.  He  is  the  enemy  of  both. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE.  6T 

Nor  is  he  the  friend  of  Moses,  who  claims  equality  for 
him  with  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  no  better  than  an  attempt 
to  turn  a faithful  herald  into  a rival  of  the  king 
his  master,  whose  approach  he  is  commissioned  to 
announce  and  prepare  for.  Yet  there  have  never 
been  wanting  those  who  have  set  up  Moses  in  su- 
periority to  Jesus.  Moses  predicted,  and  instituted 
preparations  for  the  coming  of  a Prophet  whom  the 
Lord  God  should  in  due  time  raise  up.  That  Prophet 
was  Christ.  And  what  did  Moses  enjoin  respecting 
the  reverence  to  be  paid  to  Christ  ? “Him  shall  ye 
hear  in  all  things  whatsoever  he  shall  say  unto  you.” 
Well,  the  predicted  one  came  into  the  world  and 
spake  as  man  never  before  had  spoken.  But  he  cor- 
rected some,  modified  others,  and  absolutely  abrogat- 
ed several  of  the  sayings  of  Moses.  Moses,  for  the 
hardness  of  the  people’s  hearts,  had  authorized  them 
to  divorce  their  wives  for  ordinary  causes  of  dislike. 
But  Jesus  imperatively  forbade  them  to  do  so,  except 
for  one  cause — fornication.  Moses  sanctioned  sacred 
and  j udicial  oath-taking,  and  enjoined  the  most  faith- 
ful performance  of  all  vows.  “But  1 say  unto  you 
swear  not  at  all,”  is  the  injunction  of  Jesus.  Moses 
said— “life  shall  go  for  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for 
tooth,”  &c.  “But  I say  unto  you,  that  ye  resist  not 
evil”  thus,  is  the  mandate  of  the  new  Prophet.  This 
viry  superiority  of  Jesus  to  Moses  became  an  offence 
to  the  Jews.  “Whom  makest  thou  thyself?”  said 
they  contemptuously.  “We  know  that  God  spake 
unto  Moses:  as  for  this  fellow,  we  know  not  from  whence 
he  is.”  But  Jesas  said — “if  ye  had  believed  Moses 
ye  would  have  believed  me;  for  he  wrote  of  me.  ” 
Yet  he  became  to  them  a stumbling  stone,  and  a rock 
of  offence.  They  would  not  hear  him  in  all  things, 


68 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


even  though  solemnly  enjoined  by  Moses  to  do  so. 
The  same  stumbling  still  happens  among  professing 
Christians.  "When  the  plain  non-resistant  precepts  of 
Jesus  are  urged  upon  them,  and  are  demonstrated  to 
be  prescriptive  requirements  of  the  gospel,  they  are 
accounted  hard  sayings.  The  old  law  of  retaliation 
is  so  sweet,  ai  d inflictions  of  evil  are  so  convenient, 
as  means  of  resisting  evil,  that  though  unable  to 
avoid  the  obvious  non-resistant  construction  of  the 
language  in  which  those  precepts  are  expressed,  they 
retire  behind  the  authority  of  Moses,  and  deny  that 
Jesus  abrogated  his  sayings.  They  do  not  know  what 
Jesus  really  meant,  but  they  affect  to  be  certain  that 
he  left  war,  capital  punishment,  penal  inflictions  and 
personal  resistance,  just  where  Moses  did.  Though 
Jesus  expressly  refers  to  the  saying  of  Moses — “ life 
for  life,  eye  for  eye,  and  tooth  for  tooth ’’--and  re- 
vokes it,  still  they  adhere  to  it.  And  this  they  do 
under  pretence  of  extraordinary  reverence  for  the 
word  of  God— the  whole  Bible;  alleging  that  non-re- 
sistants contemn  Moses  and  the  Old  Testament,  in  the 
very  act  of  receiving  Jesus  and  the  new  covenant  for 
what  those  precursors  announced  they  should  be. 
But  the  accusation  returns  upon  their  own  heads. 
They  are  the  contemners  of  Moses  and  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. For  if  they  believed  Moses  and  the  prophets, 
they  would  believe  in  Jesus  and  the  New  Testament, 
as  mo.  e excellent,  glorious  and  authorative  than  their 
forerunners.  But  as  it  is,  they  receive  neither  the  Old 
nor  the  New  Testaments  as  the  Word  of  God,  in  any 
such  sense  as  each  separately,  and  both  mutually, 
purport  to  be.  Is  it  to  be  believed,  then,  that  iftLey 
could  summon  Moses  from  the  world  of  spirits,  he 
would  commend  them  for  their  adherence  to  his  war 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


69 


like  and  punitive  precepts,  regardless  of  Christ’s  non- 
resistant  precepts?  Would  he  thank  them  for  over- 
bearing and  nullifying  the  laws  of  Jesus,  by  perpetu- 
ating and  enforcing  his  code  ? Would  he  not  re- 
buke them  for  their  unbelief  and  rebellion  of  soul  ? 
Would  he  not,  like  Elias,  say,  “ he  that  cometh  after 
me  is  mightier  than  I,  whose  shoes  I am  not  worthy 
to  bear  ? ” “ He  must  increase,  but  I must  decrease. 

He  that  is  of  the  earth  is  earthly;  he  that  cometh  from 
heaven  is  above  all.  ” “ Hear  him  in  all  things.  ” I 

consider  the  objection  under  notice  fairly  answered. 

OBJECTION  II. — THE  SCOURGE  OF  SMALL  CORDS. 

“ And  Jesus  went  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  found  in 
the  temple  those  that  sold  oxen,  and  sheep,  and  doves, 
and  the  changers  of  money,  sitting.  And  when  he 
had  made  a scourge  of  small  cords,  he  drove  them  all 
out  of  the  temple,  and  the  sheep,  and  the  oxen;  and 
poured  out  the  changer’s  money,  and  overthrew  the 
tables;  and  said  unto  them  that  sold  doves,  take  these 
things  hence;  make  not  my  Father’s  house  a house  of 
merchandize.  And  his  disciples  remembered  that  it 
was  written,  the  zeal  of  thy  house  hath  eaten  me  up.  ” 
Jno.  2:  13 — 17.  Is  not  this  transaction  of  Jesus  di- 
rectly contrary  to  your  doctrine  of  non-resistance? 

Answer. — Whether  the  conduct  of  Jesus  on  this 
occasion  was  inconsistent  with  my  construction  of  his 
non-resistance  precepts,  depends  very  much  on  the. 
particular  facts  of  the  case.  Did  Jesus  injure,  or' 
threaten  to  injure,  any  person  whom  he  expelled  from 
the  temple?  Did  he  impair  the  life  or  health  of  any 
human  being?  Did  he  wantonly  destroy  property? 
Dal  he  commit  any  injurious  act  on  the  body,  mind, 
or  rightful  estate  of  any  person  concerned  ? If  he  did. 


70 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


liis  conduct  was  inconsistent  with  what  I have  defined 
to  be  Christian  non-resistance.  If  he  did  not,  it  is  per- 
fectly reconcilable  with  my  doctrine.  That  he  dis- 
played an  extraordinary  zeal  for  the  religious  honor  if 
the  temple  is  certain.  Thatby  some  remarkable  means 
he  caused  a considerable  number  of  persons  traffick- 
ing within  the  temple  suddenly  to  remove  from  the 
same,  with  their  animals  and  other  effects  is  granted. 
That  those  persons  had  no  right  to  occupy  the  temple 
for  such  purposes,  and  ought  to  have  voluntarily  re- 
moved upon  the  remonstrance  of  Jesus,  will,  I trust, 
be  admitted  on  ail  sides.  The  precise  point  of  inquiry 
is,  did  Jesus  inflict  any  injury  on  the  persons,  estate 
oi  morals  of  those  who  were  caused  to  remove  by  his 
interference  ? If  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  he  inflicted 
blows  on  the  men  with  his  scourge  of  small  cords,  and 
that  he  violently  upset  tables  covered  with  coin,  scat- 
tering it  in  all  directions,  I should  have  to  admit  that 
he  injured,  more  or  less,  those  whom  he  drove  out  of 
the  temple.  But  I want  some  proof  that  he  touched 
a single  person  with  his  scourge,  and  that  in  over- 
throwing the  money  changers’  tables  he  exhibited  a 
single  undignified  gesture.  He  urgently  and  authori- 
tatively commanded  the  intruders  to  remove  those 
things  thence,  and  probably  assisted  in  pouring  their 
money  into  such  vessels  as  were  at  hand,  and  in  re- 
moving the  fixtures  they  had  constructed  for  their 
convenience.  In  all  this  he  was  earnest  and  deter- 
mined, no  doubt.  But  was  he  violent,  outrageous,  or 
punitive?  Are  we  to  imagine  him  rushing  furiously 
among  the  sacreligious,  smiting  right  and  left  whom- 
soever he  might  reach  with  his  scourge;  knocking  one 
thing  one  way,  and  another  the  other  way;  tearing  up 
and  breaking  to  pieces  benches,  tables  and  seats,  like 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


71 


the  leader  of  a mob  ! ! Some  minds  seem  to  imagine 
such  proceedings  as  these,  and  of  course  conclude 
that  many  grevious  cuts  of  the  scourge  remained  on 
the  persons  of  the  expelled,  and  that  money  and  other 
property  was  wantonly  destroyed  or  wasted,  or  at 
least  lost  to  the  owners.  But  as  I have  an  equally 
good  right  to  imagine  how  Jesus  acted  on  the  occa- 
sion, I shall  presume  that  he  did  nothing  unworthy 
of  the  principles,  the  character  and  spirit  which  uni- 
formly distinguished  him.  When  he  saw  the  temple 
occupied  by  such  a mixed  multitude  of  pretended 
worshippers;  some  really  devout,  some  hypocritically 
observing  their  formalities, and  many  others,  who,  while 
professing  to  be  promoting  the  service  of  God,  were 
intent  only  on  acquiring  gain — crowding  their  cattle, 
fowls,  and  money  changing  tables  hard  upon  the  sanc- 
tuary— so  that  the  lowing  of  oxen,  bleating  of  sheep, 
cooing  of  doves,  clinking  of  coin,  and  vociferations  of 
the  keepers,  mingled  confusedly  with  the  prayers, 
hymns,  recitations  and  responses  of  the  devotees,  his 
soul  was  filled  with  grief,  loathing  and  abhorrence.  A 
divine  zeal  fired  his  mind,  to  testify  against  and  sup- 
press this  gross  confusion  and  sacrilegious  disorder. 
Taking  up  from  the  pavement  a few  of  those  rushes, 
or  pieces  of  small  cord  made  of  rushes,  which  chanced 
to  lie  about  him,  he  fastened  them  together  in  the 
form  of  a scourge  or  switch,  and  holding  it  up  as  an 
emblem  of  the  condemnation  in  which  the  multitude 
had  involved  themselves,  he  commenced  rebuking 
them  for  corrupting  the  divine  worship,  and  mocking 
the  Almighty  with  such  a medley  of  prayer  and  traf- 
fic. Waxing  warmer  in  his  denunciations,  he  assumed 
a high  moral  and  religious  tone  of  authority,  and 
commanded  the  temple  to  be  instantly  cleansed  of  all 


VI 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


those  nuisances.  The  people  amazed  and  overawed 
by  the  truth,  justice,  earnestness  and  uncompromis- 
ing energy  of  his  rebukes,  shrunk  backward  from  his 
presence,  yielded  to  the  impulse  which  his  moral  force 
imparted  to  them,  almost  involuntarily  obeyed  his  di- 
rections, and  in  a short  time  were  actively  engaged  in 
the  work  of  removal.  Jesus,  waving  the  emblem  of 
condemnation  and  reproach,  but  without  harming 
either  man  or  beast,  followed  up  the  retreating  throng, 
urging  forward  the  cattle,  expediting  the  clearing 
and  taking  down  of  the  money  changer’s  tables,  and 
pouring  forth  with  increasing  fervor  his  rebukes  and 
admonitions  into  the  ears  of  the  people,  till  the  work 
was  consummated.  I take  for  granted  that  in  this 
whole  proceeding,  spiritual  and  moral  power  was  the 
all  controlling  element;  that  Jesus  used  very  little 
physical  force,  and  that  little  uninjuriously;  that  he 
acted  in  all  respects  worthily  of  his  authority,  dignity, 
spirit  and  mission  as  the  Son  of  God;  that  there  was 
nothing  of  the  mobocrat,  fanatic,  or  police  officer  in 
his  manner;  and  that  he  did  no  injury  to  any  human 
being, — nothing  but  good  to  all  parties  concerned. 
This  is  what  I imagine  respecting  this  affair.  There 
is  no  positive  proof  one  way  or  the  other;  as  to  the 
particular  facts,  we  are  left  to  form  the  best  judgment 
we  can  in  view  of  the  probabilities.  These  are  all  on 
the  non-resistant  side  of  the  question.  It  is  unnatur- 
al, absurd,  and  altogether  improbable  to  suppose, 
that.  Jesus  drove  out  so  large  a number  of  persons,  by 
actually  scourging,  or  threatening  to  scourge  their 
bodies.  That  he  severely  scourged  their  minds  with 
just  reproof,  of  which  his  rush  scourge  was  a signifi- 
cant emblem,  \ willingly  admit.  And  in  this  there  is 
nothing  inconsistent  with  non-resistance,  as  I have 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


73 


defined  it.  I insist,  then,  that  it  was  neither  mobo- 
cratic,  military,  political,  or  any  mere  physical  force, 
by  which  Jesus  cleansed  the  temple;  but  divine, 
spiritual  and  moral  power.  Therefore,  I throw  the- 
laboring  oar  upon  the  objector,  and  demand  that  he 
adduce  some  evidence,  other  than  mere  inference  or 
conjecture,  that  the  Saviour  struck  a single  person 
with  his  scourge,  or  otherwise  absolutely  injured  any 
human  being.  When  something  like  this  shall  be 
proved,  I will  confess  the  force  of  the  objection.  Un- 
til then,  I shall  consider  it  sufficiently  answered. 

OBJECTION  III. — THE  TWO  SWORDS. 

According  to  the  22d  chapter  of  Luke,  Christ  di- 
rected his  disciples  to  provide  themselves  swords. 
“ He  that  hath  no  sword,  let  him  sell  his  garment, 
and  buy  one.  ” Swords  could  be  of  no  other  use  than 
as  weapons  of  war,  or  of  self-defence.  How  can  this 
be  reconciled  with  your  doctrine  of  non-resistance  ? 

Answer. — There  is  one  other  use,  to  which  the 
sword  might  possibly  be  put.  It  might  be  employed 
on  a memorable  occasion  as  the  significant  emblem  of  in- 
i' nrious  resistance,  for  thepurpose  of  emphatically  incul- 
cating non-resistance.  I will  attempt  to  demonstrate 
that  this  was  the  special  use  to  which  Jesus  intended 
to  apply  it  in  the  case  before  us.  He  gave  this  direc- 
tion to  buy  swords  at  the  last  passover,  just  before 
his  betrayal  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  When  he 
had  given  it,  his  disciples  presently  responded, — 
“ Lord,  behold,  here  are  two  swords.  And  he  said 
unto  them,  it  is  enough,  ” v.  38.  How  could  two 
swords  be  enough  to  arm  twelve  men  for  war  or  self- 
defence  ? This  single  fact  shows  that  such  was  not 
the  design  of  Jesus.  He  had  a more  sublime  purpose.. 


74 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


"When  .Tndas  gave  the  traitorous  kiss,  and  the  multi- 
tude approached  to  seize  Jesus, his  disciples  demanded, 
saying,  “ Lord,  shall  we  smite  with  the  sword?  And 
one  of  them  smote  a servant  of  the  high  priest,  and 
cut  off  his  right  ear.  ” v.  49,  50.  Matthew  (26:  52) 
iniorms  us  how  Jesus  disposed  of  the  sword.  “Then 
said  Jesus  unto  him,  put  up  again  thy  sword  into  his 
place:  for  all  they  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish 
with  the  sword.  ” So  saying,  he  touched  the  wounded 
ear,  and  restored  it,  suffering  himself  to  be  borne 
away  by  his  enemies  without  resistance.  Thus  the 
sequel  proved  that  he  caused  swords  to  be  provided 
for  that  occasion,  (two  only  being  enough)  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  emphatically,  dually,  and  everlastingly 
prohibiting  the  use  of  the  instrument,  even  by  the  in- 
nocent in  self-defence.  Ever  after  this,  those  apostles, 
and  for  a long  time  the  primitive  Christians,  conscien- 
tiously eschewed  the  use  of  the  sword.  These  three 
facts  prove  my  assertion.  1.  Two  swords  were  enough. 
2.  The  moment  one  of  these  was  wielded  in  defence  of 
betrayed  innocence,  it  was  peremptorily  stayed,  the 
wound  caused  by  it  healed,  and  the  sublime  mandate 
given,  “ Put  up  thy  sword  again  into  his  place;  for 
all  they  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the 
sword.  ” And  3.  The  apostles  and  primitive  Chris- 
tians obeyed  the  in j unction,  never  afterwards  making 
the  least  use  of  such  deadly  weapons.  This  objection 
then  ends  in  solid  confirmation  of  the  non-resistance 
doctrine,  and  may  be  appreciated  accordingly. 

OBJECTION  IV. — DEATH  OF  ANANIAS  AND  SAPPHIRA. 

The  sudden  death  of  Ananias  and  his  wife  Sapphira, 
for  deception  practised  on  the  apostles,  in  keeping 
back  a portion  of  their  estate  for  private  use,  while 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


75 


pretending  to  consecrate  the  whole  to  the  use  of  the 
church,  seems  to  have  been  virtually  an  infliction  of 
capital  punishment.  Is  this  reconcileable  with  your 
non-resistance  ? 

Answer. — The  death  of  those  persons  is  not  repre- 
sented as  the  act  of  the  apostles,  or  as  in  any  manner 
procured  or  occasioned  by  them,  It  is  recorded  as  the 
visitation  of  God,  withoutany  curse,  imprecation  or  wish 
of  men.  This  will  more  fully  appear  from  the  record 
itself.  ‘ ‘ But  a certain  man  named  Ananias,  with  Sap- 
phira,  his  wife,  sold  a possession,  and  kept  back 
part  of  the  price,  his  wife  also  being  privy  to  it,  and 
brought  a certain  part,  and  laid  it  at  the  apostles’ 
feet.  But  Peter  said,  Ananias,  why  hath  Satan  filled 
thy  heart  to  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  keep  back 
part  of  the  price  of  the  land?  While  it  remained,  was 
it  not  thine  own?  and  after  it  was  sold,  was  it  not  in 
thine  own  power?  Why  hast  thou  conceived  this 
thing  in  thy  heart?  Thou  hast  not  lied  unto  men, 
but  unto  God.  And  Ananias,  hearing  these  words, 
fell  down  and  gave  up  the  ghost.”  Three  hours 
after,  when  his  wife,  not  knowing  what  was  done, 
came  in,  Peter  said  unto  her,  ‘‘How  is  it  that  je  have 
agreed  together  to  tempt  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord?  Be- 
hold, the  feet  of  them  which  have  buried  thy  hus- 
band are  at  the  door,  and  shall  carry  thee  out.  Then 
fell  she  down  straight  way  at  his  feet,  and  yielded 
up  the  ghost.”  Acts  5:  1 — 5,  7 — 10.  Is  there  any  inti- 
mation in  this  account,  that  Peter,  or  any  of  the  other 
apostles,  assumed  judicial  authority  over  those  per- 
sons? Or  that  they  assumed  any  power,  human  or  di- 
vine, over  their  lives?  Or  that  they  caused,  occasion- 
ed, imprecated  or  desired  their  death?  Certainly 
not.  The  case  then  is  not  one  on  which  the  objec- 
tion can  pertinently  rest.  I therefore  dismiss  it. 


7G 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


OBJECTION  V. — HUMAN  GOVERNMENT — 13TH  OF 
ROMANS,  &C. 

Human  government  is  recognised  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, as  the  ordinance  of  God,  for  good  to  mankind. 
Rulers  are  declared  to  be  a terror,  not  to  good  works, 
but  to  the  evil  ministers  of  God, and  revengers“to  ex- 
ecute wrath  upon  him  that  doeth  evil;”  who  bear  not 
the  sword  iu  vain,  and  ought  to  receive  tribute,  cus- 
tom and  honor  at  the  hands  of  Christians,”  not  only 
for  wrath  but  also  for  conscience’  sake.  ” Paul 
pleaded  his  citizenship  as  a Roman  to  obtain  an  hon- 
orable discharge  from  prison,  and  on  another  occasion 
to  save  himself  from  the  scourge.  He  applied  for 
military  protection  to  save  his  life  from  the  forty  con- 
spirators, and  appealed  to  Ciesar  to  obtain  justice  in 
his  defence  against  the  accusations  of  the  Jews.  See 
Romans  13: 1 — 7.  Acts  16:117.  Ib.  22:24 — 29.  Ib. 
23:17.  Ib.  25:10— 12.  Titus  3:  1.  1 Peter  2:13, 

14,  and  other  passages.  Now,  as  human  government, 
in  all  its  various  forms,  with  its  military  and  penal 
terrors,  is  the  ordinance  of  God  for  good  to  mankind; 
as  its  rulers  are  declared  to  be  the  ministers  of  God 
for  the  protection  of  the  innocent  and  the  punishment 
of  the  guilty;  and  as  its  requirements  are  to  be  re- 
spected with  submission,  it  follows  that  Christians,  in 
stead  of  non  participating  therein,  on  account  of  war, 
capital  punishment  and  penal  inflictions,  - ought  to 
share  in  its  responsibilities,  and  be  its  firmest  sup- 
porters,—always  conscientiously  endeavoring  to  ren- 
der it  in  the  highest  degree  efficient  for  its  divinely 
appointed  purpose.  Here  then  is  an  insuperable  ob- 
jection to  your  doctrine  of  non-resistance — certainly 
so,  as  respects  government,  war,  capital  punishment, 
&c. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


77 


Answer.  This  is  by  far  the  most  plausible  and  se- 
ductive objection,  uow  urged  against  Chistian  non-re- 
sistance. It  deceives  and  misleads  more  good  minds, 
and  is  harder  to  be  answered  than  any  other.  And 
yet  it  is  essentially  fallacious  and  invalid.  This  I 
will  endeavor  to  demonstrate.  Government  is  the 
bond  of  social  order.  It  is  that  directing  and  regu- 
lating authority  which  keeps  individuals  in  their  prop- 
er relations  to  each  other  and  the  great  whole.  The 
intelligent  Christian  must  contemplate  it  in  three 
several  characters.  1.  Government  per  se  ; li.  Gov- 
ernment de jure  ; and  3.  Government  de  facto.  Gov- 
ernment per  se  is  authority  exercised  to  maintain  and 
promote  moral  order.  Moral  order,  of  course,  pre- 
supposes rational  social  beings.  When  such  beings 
are  in  a state  of  true  moral  order  they  are  right-mind- 
ed, and  being  right-minded,  gradually  reduce  all 
things  physical  to  the  right  condition.  Mind  gov- 
erns matter  and  moral  authority  governs  mind.  Mor- 
al order  involves  all  other  order.  Imperfect  moral 
order  leaves  all  things  in  a state  of  imperfect  order. 
Moral  disorder  draws  after  it  all  manner  of  physical 
disorder.  Therefore,  all  depends  on  a supreme  mor- 
al authority,  or  government.  This  must  be  inherent- 
ly diviue.  It  is  original  and  self-existent  in  God  only. 
Government  per  se , then,  is  essentially  divine  ; it  is 
of  and  from  God.  It  is  not  original  in  any  created  be- 
ing. Wherever  it  exists,  it  is  derivable  from  God. 
If  so,  there  is,  strictly  speaking,  no  such  thing  as  hu- 
man government.  Man  is  always  subordinate  to  God, 
and  can  have  no  right  to  enact  any  law,  or  to  exer- 
cise any  governmental  power  contrary  to  the  divine 
law  and  government.  If  human  nature  possessed 
original,  independent  governing  authority,  men  could 


78 


CHRISTIAN  NON-  RESISTANCE. 


rightfully  repeal,  or  nullify  the  divine  law.  Now 
they  cannot.  Consequently  all  law  and  government 
absolutely  contrary  to  the  law  and  government  of  God 
is  morally  null  and  void.  But  all  law  and  govern- 
ment, in  accordance  with  the  divine  law  and  govern- 
ment, is  morally  binding  on  every  human  being. 
This  presents  government  in  its  second  character  ; 
government  de  jure,  or  of  absolute  right.  Tnat  all 
human  governments  ought  to  be  conformed  to  the 
standard  of  the  divine  none  will  deny.  If  they  were 
thus  conformed,  they  would  cease  to  be  human  in 
their  spirit  and  character.  They  would  become  mere 
incarnations  and  elaborations  of  the  divine.  But  as 
the  word  human,  when  joined  to  the  word  govern- 
ment, may  imply  nothing  more  than  a human  mani- 
festation, is  a well  regulated  social  organization,  I will 
not  discard  its  use,  my  meaning  being  understood.  I 
will  say,  then,  that  Christian  non  resistance,  so  far 
from  conflicting  with  government  per  se,  or  human 
government  de  jure,  i.  e.,  human  government  strictly 
subordinate  and  conformed  to  the  divine  government^ 
holds  the  first  supremely  sacred,  and  the  last  as  it-! 
grand  desideratum.  And  on  this  very  account  it  re- 
quires the  disciples  of  Christ  to  keep  themselves  dis- 
entangled from  all  such  human  governments  as  are 
fundamentally  repugnant  to  the  divine  government, — 
all  such  as  are  not  de  jure, according  to  the  law  of  God 
declared  by  Jesus  Christ.  This  brings  into  view  the 
third  character,  in  which  non-resistants  are  obliged  to 
contemplate  government  ; viz:  government  de  facto,  as 
it  is  in  fact.  And  what  has  human  government  ever 
been  in  fact,  from  the  beginning  to  this  day  ? Has  it 
been  identical  with  the  divine  government?  Has  it 
been  radically  government  de  jure,  according  to  the 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


79 


law  of  the  living  God  ? Is  the  present  government  of 
the  United  States,  with  all  its  captivating  professions, 
and  really  good  things,  fundamentally  a Christian 
government?  Who  will  dare  to  say  so?  What  tke  1 
was  human  government  de  facto  in  the  apostolic  times? 
The  government  of  Herod,  Pilate,  Nero  and  the  Ro- 
man Csesars,  under  whom  oppression,  injustice,  ty- 
ranny and  cruelty  rioted  on  human  rights,  deluged 
the  habitable  globe  with  blood,  crucified  the  son  of 
God,  and  made  myriads  of  martyrs? 

Now,  a preliminary  question  to  be  settled  is,  wheth- 
er the  Apostle  Paul  in  the  13th  chapter  of  Romans, 
speaks  of  government  per  se,  or  of  government  de  jure 
or  of  government  de  facto.  If  only  of  the  first  or  sec- 
ond, then  is  there  no  incompatibility  of  his  words 
with  non  resistance,  and  the  objection  falls  to  the 
ground.  But  if  he  speaks  of  hutnau  governments  aud 
rulers,  such  as  they  were  in  the  Roman  empire,  fur- 
ther investigation  will  be  necessary  to  set  the  subject 
in  a true  light.  I will  take  for  granted  that  he  was 
speaking  of  the  governments  and  rulers  under  whom 
Christians  then  lived  ; for  I can  suppose  nothing  else. 

HOW  THE  APOSTLES  VIEWED  THE  THEN  EXISTING 
GOVERNMENTS. 

Taking  this  ground,  we  wish  to  know  precisely  how 
he  and  other  apostles  viewed  those  governing  powers, 
and  how  they  counselled  the  disciples  of  Christ  to  feel 
and  act  with  regard  to  them.  If  Christ  and  His  apos- 
tles regarded  the  Cresars  and  their  subordinate  kings, 
governors  and  magistrates,  as  moved  and  approved  of 
God,  as  His  conscious  ministers,  in  carrying  on  the 
government  of  those  times;  if  they  really  held  the  then 
existing  governments  of  the  earth  to  be  ordained  of 


80 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


God,  in  the  same  sense  that  their  own  spiritual,  relig- 
ious and  moral  authority  was,  then  is  the  objection 
before  ns  unanswerable.  Then,  of  course,  I must  ad- 
mit that  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians  to  share  in  the  re- 
sponsibility of  any  government  under  which  they  may 
live,  and  to  support  its  requirements  in  all  things, 
war,  capital  punishment,  persecution,  idolatry,  slavery 
and.  whatever  else  it  may  exact.  It  would  then  be 
God’s  own  law  and  voice — to  be  obeyed  implicitly  in 
all  things.  There  could  be  no  limitations  or  excep- 
tions. Did  the  apostles  teach  such  doctrine  as  this  ? 
If  they  did,  how  happens  it  that  they  and  the  primi- 
tive Christians  kept  themselves  so  scrupulously  aloof 
from  the  governments  of  their  times?  No:  the  ob- 
jector will  not  contend  for  any  such  unqualified  en 
dorsement  of  human  government  by  the  apostles  He 
will  disclaim  such  extreme  conclusions.  He  will  ad- 
mit the  gross  corruption,  tyranny  and  wickedness  of 
those  very  governments  which  Paul  declares  to  have 
been  “ordained  of  God.”  He  will  admit  more  than 
I shall  stop  to  demand,  of  horrible  impiety,  iniquity 
and  persecution  on  the  part  of  those  very  rulers,  whom 
the  apostle  declares  to  be  the  “ministers  of  God — 
avengers  to  execute  wrath  on  evil  doers.”  He  will 
not  argue  that  such  governments  as  those  of  the 
Herods,  the  Pilates  and  the  Neroes,  were  “ordained  of 
God,”  in  the  same  sense  that  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  was.  Nor  that  those  bloody  minded  rulers  and 
their  agents  were  “ministers  of  God,”  consciously  and 
approvedly,  as  were  the  apostles.  He  knows  that 
Paul  uever  intended  to  be  so  understood.  Here,  then, 
is  the  mischievous  little  catch  of  the  objection. 
Words  and  phrases  are  taken  in  a false  sense.  There 
is  a sense  in  which  it  is  true  that  “there  is  no  power 

5 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


81 


but  of  God;”  iu  which  “the  powers  that  be  are  ordain- 
ed of  God;”  in  which  “rulers,”  even  the  worst  of 
them,  “are  not  a terror  to  good  works,  but  to  the 
evil;”  in  which  they  are  “the  ministers  of  God  for 
good”  to  the  righteous,  and  “avengers  to  execute 
wrath”  on  men  of  violence.  But  what  is  this  sense  "? 
Let  us  investigate  the  matter. 

SUBMISSION  TO,  NOT  PARTICIPATION  IN,  GOVERN- 
MENT ENJOINED  ON  CHRISTIANS. 

It  is  clear  that  Christians  are  everywhere  in  the 
Xew  Testament  enjoined  to  render  respect  and  sub- 
mission to  human  governments,  kings,  rulers  and 
magistrates.  They  are  forbidden  to  resist  “the 
powers  that  be,”  or  their  ordinances,  by  any  act  of 
wanton  disobedience,  insurrection, sedition  or  violence, 
whatsoever.  They  are  commanded  to  obey  them  in  all 
things  not  involving  disobedience  to  God,  and  then  to 
do  their  duty  patiently,  suffering  whatever  persecu- 
tion, penalties  or  violence  government  may  inflict  up- 
on them.  But  it  is  equally  clear  that  Christians  are 
now  here  in  the  ISTew  Testament  enjoined  to  enter 
into  political  combinations;  nor  to  accept  offices 
of  trust  and  emolument,  civil  or  military,  under  any 
human  government;  nor  to  apply  to  courts  of  law 
for  redress  of  injuries  committed  upon  them;  nor  to 
seek  personal  protection  from  the  civil  or  military 
power.  All  tnis  being  assumed,  we  wish  to  as- 
certain whether  Christians  are  enjoined  to  pay  re- 
spect, submission  and  tribute  to  governments  and 
their  administrative  officers,  otherwise  than  to  bodies 
of  men,  or  individuals  not  governmentally  organized 
constituted  and  empowered.  It  would  seem  that  they 
are.  They  are  to  render  respect,  submission,  tribute 


82 


CHRISTIAN  NON  RESISTANCE. 


and  custom  to  governments  and  rulers  as  such.  There 
must  then  be  reasons  for  paying  this  peculiar  defer- 
ence and  homage.  What  are  they?  Paul  presents 
them  in  the  passage  referred  to,  Romans  13:  1 — 7. 
But  there  is  a difficulty  in  determining  precisely  what 
he  means  by  such  terms  and  phrases  as  “ordained  of 
God.”  “ordinances  of  God,”  “ministers  of  God.” 
What  is  the  true  sense  of  these  expressions "?  Let  us 
see  if  we  can  determine. 

IN  WHAT  SENSE  “THE  POWERS  THAT  BE  ARE  OR- 
DAINED OF  GOD.” 

It  cannot  be  in  the  sense,  that  he  requires  them  to 
be  just  what  they  are,  and  to  do  just  what  they  do. 
It  cannot  be  in  the  sense  that  they  can  do  no  wrong, 
commit  no  sin,  and  deserve  no  punishment.  It  can- 
not be  in  any  such  sense  as  that  kings,  counsellors, 
rulers  and  magistrates  are  not  moral  agents,  or  are  in 
any  manner  absolved  from  the  common  obligations  of 
other  men,  to  love  God  with  their  whole  heart,  to  love 
their  neighbors  as  themselves,  to  forgive  the  trespasses 
of  their  offenders,  to  love  their  enemies,  bless  those 
that  curse  them  and  do  good  to  them  that  hate  them. 
It  can  be  in  no  such  sense,  as  would  change  the  law  of 
God,  reverse  light  and  wrong,  or  screen  them  from 
condemnation  in  anything  sinful.  It  must  be  in  some 
general  sense,  a sense  which  implies  merely  their 
necessity  in  the  nature  of  things,  and  that  they  are 
overruled  iu  the  providence  of  God  for  the  good  of 
mankind.  In  this  sense  they  certainly  are  ordained  of 
God;  and  in  this  sense  kings,  presidents,  governors  and 
rulers  are  ministers  of  God,  i.  e.,  instruments  in  the 
grand  economy  of  his  providence  for  the  good  of  well 
doers,  and  the  punishment  and  restraint  of  evil  doers. 


CHRISTIAN  NON- RESIST  A NCE. 


83 


And  this  is  as  true  of  the  most  corrupt  perverse,  ty- 
rannical rulers,  as  of  the  more  worthy.  It  was  as  true 
of  Pharaoh.  Nebuchadnezzar,  Nero  and  Robespierre, 
as  of  Mel chizedec, David,  Antoninus  and  Washington. 
Hence  we  must  make  a great  difference  between  a con- 
sciously inspired  and  approved  minister  of  God,  and 
those  “ministers  of  God”  that  “bear  not  the  sword  in 
vain,”  that  are  a “terror  to  evil  doers, ’’and  that  are 
“avengers  to  execute  wrath.”  Because  these  latter 
have  frequently  no  consciousness  that  they  are  instru- 
ments in  the  divine  hand,  that  he  is  using  them  to 
any  holy  purpose,  or  that  he  approves  of  their  con- 
duct. On  the  contrary  they  are  frequently  conscious 
of  setting  at  defiance  his  law  and  judgments,  and  of 
trampling  under  foot  every  thing  divine  and  human 
which  appears  to  stand  in  the  way  of  their  selfish- 
ness, ambition,  revenge  and  lust. 

PHAROAH  GOD’S  MINISTER. 

Thus  it  is  written- concerning  Pharoah:  “ For  this 
same  purpose  have  I raised  thee  up,  that  I might  show 
my  power  in  thee,  and  that  my  name  might  be  de- 
clared through  all  the  earth.  ” But  Pharaoh  had  no 
consciousness  of  all  this..  It  entered  not  into  his  mo- 
tives. He  acted  entirely  according  to  his  own  per- 
verse and  wicked  inclinations.  And  God  punished 
him  just  as  if  nothing  but  evil  was  to  result  from  his 
tyrannical  reign.  Yet  in  the  great  providential  sense 
he  was  “ ordained  of  God,  ” was  the  servant  or  minis- 
ter of  God  for  good  to  Israel,  and  for  the  punishment 
of  the  cruel  Egyptians.  He  knew  not  the  use  God 
was  putting  him  to;  he  intended  not  the  good  which 
lie  was  made  to  promote;  and  therefore  received  ac- 
cording to  the  evil  which  he  did  intend.  Yet  prob- 


84 


CHRISTIAN  NON  RESISTANCE. 


ably  the  whole  human  race  is  now  in  a better  condi- 
tion for  his  having  oppressed  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  thereby  hastened  their  exodus  from  Egypt.  The 
results  have  been  good,  by  reason,  not  of  his  righteous 
motives,  but  of  an  all -wise,  overruling  providence 
which  made  the  tyrant  unconsciously  a minister  of 
its  beneficent  purposes. 

THE  MONARCH  OF  ASSYRIA  GOD’S  MINISTER. 

So  it  was  with  the  Assyrian  government  and  its 
monarch.  “ O Assyrian,  the  rod  of  mine  anger,  and 
the  staff  in  their  hand  is  mine  indignation.  I will 
send  him  against  a hypocritical  nation,  and  against 
the  people  of  my  wrath  will  I give  him  a charge,  to 
take  the  spoil,  and  to  take  the  prey,  and  to  tread 
them  down  like  the  mire  of  the  streets.  Howbeit  he 
meaneth  not  so,  neither  doth  his  heart  think  so.” 
“ Wherefore  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  the  Lord  hath 
performed  his  whole  work  upon  Mount  Zion,  and  on 
Jerusalem,  1 will  punish  the  fruit  of  the  stout  heart  of 
the  king  of  Assyria,  and  the  glory  of  his  high  looks. 
For  he  saith,  by  the  strength  of  my  hand  have  I done 
it,  and  by  my  wisdom,  for  I am  prudent.  ” “Shall 
the  axe  boast  itself  against  him  that  heweth  there- 
with 1 shall  the  saw  magnify  itself  against  him  that 
sliaketh  it  V’  Isaiah  10:  5 — 7,  12 — 15.  Thus  was  the 
Assyrian  government  ordained  of  God,  in  the  apostle’s 
sense,  and  the  king  thereof  made  to  be  “God’s  minis- 
ter, ” servant,  instrument.  He  was  made  to  be  so 
not  only  without  any  consciousness,  but  against  his 
own -proud,  ambitious  and  vindictive  will.  And  like 
Pharaoh  before  him  he  was  judged  according  to 
the  evil  he  intended,  and  not  according  to  the 
good  which  God  obliged  him,  unwittingly,  to  sub- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


85 


serve.  He  was  made  a rod  of  correction  to  hypocritic- 
al Israel,  in  the  divine  hand  “a  terror  to  evil  doers,” 
even  while  being  himself  a gigantic  evil  doer.  He 
“ bore  not  the  sword  in  vain,”  u howbeit  he  meant 
not  so.  ” Query.  Would  this  have  been  a good  rea- 
son why  the  prophets  and  pious  portion  of  Israel 
should  go  and  connect  themselves  with  his  govern- 
ment or  army  ! Yet  it  was  a good  reason  why  they 
should  persevere  in  declaring  the  truth,  in  promoting 
righteousness,  and  in  patiently  awaiting  the  deliver- 
ances of  divine  providence. 

NEBUCHADNEZZAR  GOD’S  MINISTER. 

Nebuchadnezzar  affords  another  instance  of  the 
same  ordination  and  overruling  of  God.  “ Behold,  I 
will  send  and  take  all  the  families  of  the  north,  and 
Nebuchadnezzar,  my  servant  [my  minister,]  and  will 
bring  them  against  this  land,”  &c.  “ And  it  shall 

come  to  pass,  when  seventy  years  are  accomplished, 
that  I will  punish  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  that  na- 
tion saith  the  Lord,  for  their  iniquity,  ” &c.,  Jer.  25: 
9,  12.  Was  Nebuchadnezzar  God’s  minister  for  good 
to  Jeremiah  and  the  faithful,  but  an  avenger  to  exe- 
cute wrath  on  the  wicked  Israelites  ? Was  he  one 
who  bore  not  the  sword  in  vain — and  who  was  a terror 
to  evil  doers  ? Such  God  made  him  to  be.  But  was 
he  conscious  of  it  ? Was  it  his  motive  '?  Did  he  Avork 
righteousness?  Was  he  not  really  a very  wicked 
man  ? Did  not  God  condemn  and  punish  him  % 
Would  it  have  been  commendable,  in  Jeremiah  and 
the  upright  few  among  the  Jews,  to  have  gone  over 
and  become  soldiers  in  his  army  ? They  did,  indeed 
peaceably  go  out  and  surrender  to  him,  and  coun- 
selled their  countrymen  tp  submit  to  his  government, 


86 


OH  RISTI  AN  NON  - RESISTANCE . 


on  the  very  ground  that  God  had  determined  to  hum- 
ble them  for  their  great  national  sins,  and  had  in  his 
providence  given  Nebuchadnezzar  power  to  subdue 
them.  But  they  .never  held  up  the  invading  mon- 
arch as  righteous,  and  approved  in  the  sight  of  God. 

THE  ROMAN  GOVERNMENT. 

If  we  descend  to  Paul’s  time  and  contemplate  the 
Roman  government,  its  Ctesars  and  their  governors  of 
provinces,  should  we  not  be  obliged  to  view  them  in 
the  same  light  ? We  might,  indeed,  find  many  laws, 
institutions,  measures,  and  particular  acts  of  adminis- 
tration worthy  of  commendation,  which  no  good  man 
would  wish  depreciated.  But  how  much  of  the  tyran- 
nical. oppressive,  cruel  and  utterly  abominable  would 
rise  up  before  us,  to  awaken  our  disgust  and  abhor 
reuce  ? What  shall  we  think  of  the  emperor  Nero, 
under  whom  Paul,  Peter  and  thousands  of  Christians 
were  put  to  death,  whose  name  has  become  univer- 
sally infamous  for  cruelty,  persecution  and  brutality  ! 
Yet  he  was  a ‘‘minister  of  God  ” — “ a terror  to  evil 
doers,  ” — 11  an  avenger  to  execute  wrath,  oue  who 
“ bore  not  the  sword  in  vain  ,? — to  whom  tribute 
should  be  paid,  honor  rendered,  and  unresisting  sub- 
mission offered.  Paul,  Peter,  and  the  Christian  mar- 
tyrs, all  acted  accordingly.  And  though  he  perse- 
cuted them  unto  death,  it  was  doubtless  true,  that 
God  iu  his  providence  made  him,  in  spite  of  his 
wickedness,  a minister  to  them  for  good;  causing  all 
things  to  work  together  for  good  to  them,  as  the  true 
lovers  of  righteousness.  How  else  shall  we  under- 
stand the  apostle’s  doctrine,  or  interpret  the  persecu- 
tions inflicted  on  them  by  “ the  powers  ordained  of 
God,  ” anil  by  rulers  like  Nero  and  his  deputies,  the 


CIIRISTIA N NON-RESISTANCE . 


87 


<l  ministers  of  God  f ” We  cannot  for  a moment  re- 
gard these  “ powers”  as  approved  of  God,  nor  those 
tyrant  monsters  as  his  conscious  u ministers,  ” the  or- 
acles and  conscientious  doers  of  his  will.  And  yet,  in 
the  general  sense,  the  great  providental  sense,  all 
Paul  says  of  them  is  true.  For  is  his  declaration  of 
this  truth  useless  or  unimportant?  It  is  necessary  for 
the  comfort,  support  and  right  conduct  of  Christians 
amid  the  uproar,  tumult  and  apparent  confusion  of 
governmental  affairs.  They  must  see  by  faith  the 
hand  of  their  Father  guiding  the  helm  of  events,  re- 
straining the  wrath  of  man,  and  overruling  the  most 
powerful  agencies  of  human  society  for  good.  Other- 
wise they  would  often  despair  of  the  world’s  redemp- 
tion, and  be  thrown  into  the  foaming  currents  of  re- 
taliation, revolution,  violence  and  war.  But  now  they 
may  do  their  duty  without  fear,  in  full  confidence 
that  “ the  Lord  God  omnipotent  retgneth  ” in  right- 
eousness over  all  governments,  monarehs,  kings,  rul- 
ers, and  magistrates;  judging  them  according  to  their 
•own  proper  motives  and  works,  but  overruling  their 
most  perverse  doings  for  the  particular  good  of  the 
just,  and  the  general  good  of  the  universe. 

RESPECTS  WHEREIN  GOVERNMENT  IS  ORDAINED  OF 

GOD. 

I come  then  to  the  following  conclusion:  3.  That 

government  of  some  sort  supplies  a fundamental  want 
of  human  nature,  and  must  exist  wherever  men  exist. 
In  this  respect  it  is  ordained  of  God.  2.  That  human 
governments  de  facto  are  barbarisms,  corruptions,  per 
versions  and  abuses  of  the  true  government  de  jure, 
which  God  through  Christianity  aims  to  establish 
among  mankind;  and  are  therefore  the  nearest  ap- 


88 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


proaches  which  the  mass  of  men  in  their  present  low 
moral  condition  are  capable  of  making  to  the  true 
ideal.  In  this  respect  government  is  ordained  of  God. 
3.  That  the  worst  of  governments  are  preferable  to  ab 
solute  anarchy — being  the  least  of  two  evils,  and  ren- 
dering the  condition  of  man  on  the  whole  more  toler- 
able. In  this  respect  “ the  powers  that  be  are  or- 
dained of  God.  ’ ’ 4.  That  human  governments  gene- 

rally proclaim  and  sanction  some  great  truths  and  du- 
ties, execute  some  justice,  and  intentionally  maintain 
more  or  less  wholesome  order;  that  they  are  in  many 
respects  positively  good  in  motive  and  deed,  thus  far 
conforming  to  the  divine  government.  In  this  respect 
they  are  ordained  of  God.  5.  Wherein  human  gov- 
ernments and  their  administrators  are  fundamentally 
tyrannical,  selfish,  oppressive,  persecuting,  unprin- 
cipled and  morally  abhorrent,  they  are  overruled  in 
the  hand  of  God,  as  unwitting  instrumentalities  for 
the  punishment  and  restraint  of  violence,  and  for 
quickening  and  purifying  the  moral  sense  of  the 
righteous,  to  superinduce  in  them  a holier,  more  de- 
voted and  mightier  activity  in  the  great  work  of  hu- 
man reformation.  In  this  respect  the  powers  that  be 
are  ordained  of  God,  and  rulers  are  ministers  of  God 
for  good  to  the  just,  but  of  wrath  to  the  children  of 
wrath.  Therefore  Christians  are  to  respect,  submit, 
and  render  homage  to  the  governments  and  rulers  un- 
der whom  they  live,  however  anti-Christian  and  even 
persecuting;  taking  care  to  obey  them  in  all  well-do- 
ing, to  conform  to  their  requirements  in  all  matters 
not  conflicting  with  the  divine  requirements,  differ- 
ing from  them  as  peaceably  as  possible,  suffering  their 
wrongs  patiently  in  hope,  withstanding  them  only  for 
righteousness’  sake  in  things  absolutely  sinful,  and 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


89- 

then  enduring  their  penalties  with  non  resistant 
meekness  and  submission.  But  at  the  same  time  t hey 
are  to  be  true  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  faithful  in  their 
allegiance  to  the  great  law  of  Christ,  never  departing 
from  it  for  the  sake  of  assuming  the  reins  of  any  hu- 
man government,  or  obtaining  its  honors,  emoluments,, 
advantages,  approbation  or  protection  If  they  can 
enter  into  any  government  and  carry  their  Christian- 
ity with  them  unadulterated  and  untrammelled,  let 
them  enter.  If  not,  it  is  their  imperative  duty  to  re- 
main out  of  it,  peaceable,  unoffending  subjects.  Their 
mission  is  a higher  and  nobler  one  than  that  of  tlie- 
worldly  politician,  statesman  or  ruler.  They  must  not 
desert,  betray  or  dishonor  it.  If  they  continue  faith- 
ful they  will  gradually  draw  up  human  government 
to  the  divine  standard.  If  they  lower  themselves 
down,  by  renouncing  or  compromising  their  prin- 
ciples, for  the  sake  of  participating  in  any  fundamen- 
tally anti-Christian  government,  hoping  thereby  to 
elevate  the  moral  tone  of  such  government,  they 
will  infallibly  be  disappointed.  They,  will  sink 
themselves,  and  with  them  the  government  will 
sink  still  lower  than  before.  They  must  everlast- 
ingly insist  on  the  principles  and  precepts  of  Jesus 
Christ;  and  whatever  will  not  come  to  those,  leave  to 
its  own  genius  and  doom.  God  will  take  care  of  all 
the  rest.  “ For  there  is  no  power  but  of  God,  and 
subject  to  his  own  sovereign  disposal.  The  Christian 
has  nothing  to  care  for  but  to  be  a Christian  indeed, 
allowing  himself  never  to  be  transformed  into  any 
thing,  or  committed  to  any  undertaking  essentially 
inconsistent  with  his  sublime  profession. 

If  I have  taken  a correct  view  of  this  important, 
but  difficult  subject,  I have  fairly  removed  the  pend- 


CHRISTIAN  NON- RESISTANCE. 


90 

ing  objection,  so  far  as  it  rests  on  the  13th  chapter  of 
Romans,  and  similar  passages.  I am  confident  this 
view  is  substantially  correct;  and  I do  not  believe  the 
opposers  of  Christian  u on -resistance  can  give  any 
other  view  which  will  harmonize  decently,  either  with 
the  plain  tenor  of  the  Scriptures,  or  with  their  own 
doctrine,  respecting  the  natuie  and  functions  of  civil 
government.  It  remains  only  that  I touch  on  that 
part  of  the  objection  which  asserts  that  Paul  in  cer- 
tain cases  resorted  to  human  government,  idolatrous, 
warlike  and  despotic  as  it  then  was,  to  secure  immun- 
ity, protection  and  justice. 

Paul’s  conduct  in  relation  to  government. 

This  is  a misapprehension,  or  at  least  a false  view 
of  the  facts.  Did  Paul  ever  commence  a prosecution 
at  law  for  the  redress  of  injuries  perpetrated  on  his 
person,  property  or  rights "?  Did  he  ever  apply  to  the 
civil  or  military  authorities  for  personal  protection, 
when  at  large,  pursuing  his  usual  avocations"?  Never. 
Such  a case  is  not  on  record  The  cases  cited  all  oc- 
curred when  he  was  a prisoner,  in  charge  of  the  gov- 
ernment officers.  The  first  instance  is  mentioned  Acts 
16:37.  Paul  and  Silas  had  been  thrown  into  prison 
and  cruelly  beaten  by  order  of  the  magistrates  of 
Phillippi.  The  next  morning  those  magistrates  sent 
directions  to  the  jailor  to  let  them  go.  “But  Paul 
said  unto  them,  they  have  beaten  us  openly  nncou- 
demned,  being  Romans,  and  have  cast  us  into  prison; 
and  now  do  they  thrust  us  out  privily?  nay,  verily; 
but  let  them  come  themselves  and  fetch  us  out.” 
The  result  was,  that  the  magistrates,  knowing  that 
they  had  proceeded  unlawfully,  were  glad  to  acknow- 
ledge their  error,  and  discharge  the  prisoners  in  an 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


91 


.’honorable  manner.  This  was  all  Paul  demanded. 
-He  and  Silas  had  done  nothing,  even  according  to  the 
laws  of  the  land,  to  merit  such  vile  treatment;  and 
knowing  that  they  had  a right,  as  Roman  citizens,  to 
redress,  they  meant  that  the  magistrates  and  the  pub- 
lic should  understand  the  facts.  They,  however, 
brought  no  action  for  redress,  but  were  content  to  for- 
•give  their  injuries,  if  only  they  might  be  regarded  as 
the  injured  party,  and  as  such  reputably  discharged. 
This  is  just  what  every  Non-Resistant  ought  to  do  un- 
der like  circumstances.  It  would  have  been  un- 
worthy of  the  gospel,  for  Paul  and  Silas  to  have  crept 
■ off  in  a private  manner,  leaving  the  people  to  infer 
that  they  were  culprits,  allowed  to  escape  by  mere  in- 
dulgence. Christianity  is  as  bold,  faithful,  and  heroic 
in  asserting  its  rights,  and  sustaining  its  just  repu- 
tation, as  It  is  non-resistant  in  respect  to  returning  in- 
jury for  injury  It  is  never  mean  and  skulking, 
but  always  open,  frank,  dignified  and  godlike. 

The  next  instance  cited  is  mentioned  in  the  22d 
chapter,  of  Acts.  The  Jews  had  raised  a mob,  and 
rushed  on  Paul  to  kill  him.  While  they  were 
cruelly  beating  him,  the  chief  captain  came  upon 
them  with  his  soldiers,  and  made  Paul  his  prisoner, 
causing  him  to  be  bound  with  two  chains,  and  to  be 
conducted  to  the  castle.  Having  reached  the  stairs 
of  the  castle,  he  asked  permission  to  address  the  ex- 
cited multitude.  He  was  permitted,  and  was  heard 
for  a short  time  with  great  attention.  But  on  declar- 
ing that  God  had  commissioned  him  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  the  Gentiles,  the  whole  throng  broke  out  into 
the  most  furious  invectives,  saying,  u Away  with  such 
a fellow  from  the  earth;  for  it  is  not  fit  that  he  should 
live.  And  as  they  cried  out,  and  cast  off  their  clothes, 


92 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


and  threw  dust  into  the  air,  the  chief  captain  com- 
manded him  to  lie  brought  into  the  castle,  and  bade 
that  he  should  be  examined  by  scourging;  that  he 
might  know  wherefore  they  cried  so  against  h i m . ” ' 
This  was  an  extraordinary  state  of  things.  An  inno- 
cent man  falsely  accused  and  maliciously  assailed  by 
a crowd  of  bigoted  and  ferocious  Jews,  solely  on  ac- 
count of  his  Christianity,  was  about  to  be  cruelly 
scourged,  to  extort  a confession  of  some  suspected 
secret.  Paul,  being  a freeborn  Roman  citizen,  and 
knowing  himself  privileged  by  that  single  fact  from 
such  gross  outrage,  demanded,  as  they  were  binding 
him  with  thongs — “Is  it  lawful  for  you  to  scourge  a 
man  that  is  a Roman,  and  uncondemned  V ’ This  stay- 
ed the  proceedings  instantly.  “Take  heed,”  said  the 
centurion  to  the  chief  captain,  “what  thou  doest:  for 
this  man  is  a Roman.”  “Tell  me,  art  thou  a Romani” 
said  the  captain.  Paul  said  “Yea.”  The  captain 
answered — “With  a great  sum  obtained  I this  free- 
dom.” “But  I was  free  born,”'  replied  the  prisoner. 
“Then  straightway  they  departed  from  him,  which 
should  have  examined  him:  and  the  chief  captain  also 
was  afraid,  after  he  knew  that  he  was  a Roman,  and' 
because  he  had  bound  him.”  Here  was  one  remark- 
able excellency  of  the  Roman  law  and  authority: — a 
Roman  citizen  must  be  treated  with  a certain  degree 
of  respect,  and  (airly  heard  in  his  own  defence,  even 
though  guilty  of  great  crimes.  He  must  be  regularly- 
condemned  before  being  subjected  to  the  treatment  of 
a felon.  This  was  nothing  but  a dictate  of  plain- 
justice  and  common  sense.  But  observe,  Paul  hack 
not  recently  gone  and  purchased  his  privilege  of  Ro- 
man citizenship,  in  order  to  provide  against  such  con- 
tingencies as  these.  He  was  “freeborn.”  All  he 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


93 


did  was  to  remind  those  who  were  about  to  violate  the 
Eoman  law  by  scourging  him  uncondemued,  of 
his  rights.  He  threatens  nothing;  he  only  throws 
them  upon  their  own  responsibility.  It  was  his  right 
and  privilege  to  be  dealt  with  civilly,  till  fairly  tried. 
He  pleaded  his  rights  in  the  most  unassuming  manner 
.possible,  and  left  those  who  had  his  person  in  their 
power,  to  act  for  themselves.  How  just,  how  honor- 
able, how  meek,  how  noble,  how  non-resistant,  was 
his  conduct  ! There  is  nothing  in  it  which  any  non- 
resistant,  in  like  circumstances,  might  not  and  ought 
not  to  copy. 

The  next  instance  followed  soon  after.  It  is  re- 
corded in  the  23d  chapter  of  Acts.  Paul  still  a pris- 
oner iu  the  castle,  had  received  a partial  hearing  be- 
fore the  chief  priests  and  their  council.  Meantime 
forty  of  his  most  violent  enemies  banded  together  un- 
der oath  not  to  eat  or  drink  till  they  had  killed  him. 
To  find  an  opportunity  for  their  deadly  assault,  they 
agreed  to  request  the  chief  captain  to  bring  Paul 
again  before  the  council  for  further  hearing;  intend- 
ing while  he  was  imperfectly  guarded  to  rush  upon 
him  and  effect  their  purpose.  Paul’s  sister’s  son,  get- 
ting knowledge  of  this  conspiracy,  communicated  it  to 
Ms  uncle,  who,  thereupon  called  one  of  the  centurions, 
and  said:  Bring  this  young  man  unto  the  chief  cap- 

tain, for  he  hath  a certain  thing  to  tell  him.  ” The 
young  man  did  his  errand  to  the  chief  captain,  who 
kindly  sent  him  away  under  a charge  of  silence  re- 
specting the  matter.  To  prevent  bloodshed  and  all 
further  violence,  the  chief  captain  ordered  four  hun- 
dred and  sixty  of  his  soldiers  to  convey  Paul  during 
the  night  to  Cesarea,  to  Felix  the  governor.  Thus 
was  the  threatened  mischief  avoided.  This  is  what 


M CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 

some  understand  to  be  Paul’s  application  for  a mili- 
tary force  to  protect  his  person.  Did  Paul  apply  .'or 
protection  ? Did  he  demand  a military  escort?  Did 
he  ask  anything,  or  recommend  any  thing,  except 
barely  that  the  centurion  would  conduct  his  nephew 
to  the  chief  captain,  that  he  might  communicate  his 
message  ? Iso,  nothing.  He  was  a helpless  prisoner, 
guarded  by  the  chief  captain’s  soldiers.  It  was  the 
duty  of  that  officer  to  afford  him  such  personal  pro- 
tection as  was  due  to  all  Roman  citizens.  Paul  knew 
from  his  preceding  conduct,  that  the  chief  captain  was 
desirous  of  discharging  his  duty  according  to  law.  He 
was  apprised  of  the  deadly  conspiracy  formed  against 
him.  Had  he  been  his  own  man,  non-resistance 
would  have  admonished  him  to  escape  the  danger  by- 
flight.  But  he  was  a prisoner.  He  was  to  be  brought 
within  reach  of  his  foes,  under  treacherous  pretences 
of  a desire  to  give  him  a further  hearing,  and  then 
murdered  in'spite  of  his  Koman  guard.  What  could 
he,  or  ought  he  to  have  done,  either  to  save  his  own 
life,  or  pay  proper  respect  to  the  chief  captain,  less 
than  to  cause  the  simple  facts  to  be  communicated  t 
It  was  his  duty.  He  would  have  been  most  criminal 
had  he  done  otherwise.  He  meditated  no  counter  at- 
tack on  the  guilty.  He  sought  no  means  of  punishing 
them.  He  counselled  no  measures  of  violence.  He 
recommended  nothing,  threatened  nothing,  demanded 
nothing.  He  caused  the  proper  information  to  be 
conveyed  to  the  captain,  and  meekly  left  all  to  his 
discretion.  And  the  captain  proved  his  good  sense, 
as  well  as  pacific  disposition,  by  so  disposing  of  the 
prisoner  as  to  prevent  all  violence  and  danger.  In  all 
this  matter  Paul  acted  just  as  any  Christian  non-resis- 
tant, in  such  circumstances,  should  act  most  unexcep- 
tionably. 


CHRISTIAN  NON  RESISTANCE. 


95* 


His  “ appeal  to  Caesar”  followed  in  the  train  of 
these  events.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  25th  chapter. 
What  was  the  nature  and  design  of  that  appeal  1 He 
had  been  falsely  accused,  subjected  to  a long  impris- 
onment, and  partly  tried  tor  heresy  and  sedition. 
His  trial  was  still  pending  after  a two  years  delay  of 
justice.  Festus,  the  new  governor,  found  Paul  still 
in  bonds.  The  high  priest  and  chief  of  the  Jews,  now 
moved  their  suit  afresh  and  requested  that-Paul  might 
be  sent  to  Jerusalem — “ lying  iu  wait  in  the  way  to 
kill  him.  ” But  not  succeeding  in  this  plot,  the  Jews 
went  down  to  Cesarea  to  renew  their  accusations  be- 
fore the  governor’s  judgment  seat.  Paul  reaffirmed 
his  innocence  of  all  their  charges,  and  nothing  could 
be  made  out  against  him.  Festus,  the  governor, 
“ willing  to  do  the  Jews  a pleasure,  asked  Paul  if  he 
would  “ go  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  be  judged  of 
these  things.  ” “ Then  said  Paul,  I stand  at  Caesar’s 

judgment  seat,  where  I ought  to  be  judged:  to  the 
Jews  have  I done  no  wrong,  as  thou  very  well  know- 
est.  For  if  I be  an  offender,  or  have  committed  any 
thing  worthy  of  death,  I refuse  not  to  die;  but  if  there 
be  none  of  these  things  whereof  they  accuse  me,  no 
man  may  deliver  me  unto  them.  1 appeal  unto  Ctes- 
sar.  ” How  noble  and  Christian  like  this  appeal  ! 
Jerusalem  was  no  place  for  an  impartial  trial.  It  was 
only  adding  insult  to  injury,  to  propose  under  such 
circumstances  pretexts,  to  take  him  back  among  those 
prejudiced  and  blood  thirsty  men.  If  he  must  be  fur- 
ther tried,  he  claimed  his  privilege  to  appear  before-  a 
higher  and  more  impartial  court — to  go  to  Rome. 
God  had  directed  him  in  a vision  to  do  so,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  proclaiming  the  gospel  in  that  great  city. 
His  defence  was  in  fact  nothing  but  the  defence  of  the 


96 


C HR  ISTIAN  NON  - RESISTANCE . 


gospel.  He  therefore  appealed  to  Csesar.  He  was 
not  the  accuser,  but  the  accused.  He  had  not  come 
into  court  to  complain  of  and  procure  the  punishment 
of  his  enemies.  He  was  not  the  prosecutor  in  this 
case;  but  a prisoner,  falsely  accused,  detained  in  bonds 
unjustly,  and  now  laid  under  the  necessity  of  going 
to  Jerusalem  or  to  Rome  for  the  conclusion  of  his 
trial.  He  might  have  his  choice;  it  was  his  acknow- 
ledged privilege;  and  he  availed  himselt  of  it  as  a 
duty  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  no  less  than  as  a right. 
And  in  this,  as  in  other  instances,  he  acted  just  as 
he  ought  to  have  acted — just  as  any  Christian  non-re- 
sistant would  be  bound  to  act.  Neither  of  the  cases 
cited  implies  the  slightest  inconsistency  of  conduct 
with  the  doctrine  to  which  they  are  brought  as  objec- 
tions. 

CONCLUSION. 

Having  thus  thoroughly  canvassed  all  the  impor- 
tant objections  to  my  doctrine,  which  I recollect  ever 
to  have  seen  presented  out  of  the  Scriptures,  I may 
now  confidently  appeal  to  the  understanding  and  con- 
science of  the  Christian  reader  for  a favorable  verdict. 
Have  I not  triumphantly  demonstrated  that  the  Holy 
Scriptures  teach  the  doctrine  of  non-resistance  as  de- 
fined in  the  first  chapter  of  this  work  % Have  I not 
fairly  answered  the  objections  urged  from  the  Scrip- 
tures against  it  1 Is  there  any  doctrine  or  duty  taught 
in  the  Bible,  which  c^n  be  sustained  by  more  convin- 
cing testimony  1 Or  that  can  be  more  satisfactorily 
freed  from  objections?  It  seems  to  me  that  candid 
minds,  after  seriously  investigating  the  subject,  can 
come  to  no  other  conclusion.  I know  that  it  is  a mo- 
mentous conclusion,  drawing  after  it  the  most  radical 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


97 


-change  of  views,  feelings,  conduct  and  character 
throughout  Christendom  and  the  world  which  can 
well  be  imagined.  But  will  it  not  be  a most  glorious 
and  salutary  revolution?  When  all  who  sincerely 
reverence  the  Bible,  as  in  any  sacred  sense  the  word 
of  God  to  mankind,  shall  contemplate  the  Old  Testa- 
ment as  the  prophecy  and  preparative  of  the  new, 
pointing  forward  to  the  perfect  development  of  moral 
-excellence  under  the  reign  of  Jesus  Christ;  when  they 
shall  see  in  his  precepts,  examples  and  spirit  a per- 
fect manifestation  of  the  divine  wisdom  and  good- 
ness; and  shall  feel  that  his  righteousness,  imbibed 
into  the  hearts  and  exhibited  in  the  lives  ot  mankind, 
is  the  only  remedy  for  all  the  world’s  disorders  ! 


“Fly  swifter  round,  ye  wheels  of  time, 
And  bring  the  welcome  day.  ” 


98 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Non-Resistance  Not  Contrary  To  Nature. 

Nature  and  the  laws  of  nature  defined— Self-preservation 
the  first  law  of  nature— What  is  the  true  method  of  self- 
preservation?— Demurrer  of  the  objector— The  objector  still 
persists;  analogy  of  the  animals — Common  method  of 
self-preservation  certainly  false— Five  great  laws  of  hu- 
man nature  considered — These  laws  radically  harmonious 
—Non-Resistance  in  perfect  unison  with  these  laws — A 
law  of  universal  nature,  like  begets  its  like— General  illus- 
trations in  common  life — Special  illustrations;  1,  Subdued 
pride  and  scorn;  2,  The  man  whose  temper  was  broken;  3, 
The  colored  woman  and  the  sailor;  4,  The  hay  makers;  5, 
The  two  students;  6,  Two  neighbors  and  the  manure;  7, 
Impounding  the  horse;  8,  Two  neighbors  and  the  hens;  9, 
Henry  and  Albert;  10,  The  subdued  hatter;  11,  The  re- 
volutionary soldier;  12,  Ex-President  Jefferson  and  the 
cooper’s  shop;  13,  Wm  Ladd  and  his  neighbor  Pulsifer — 
Conclusion. 

The  opposers  of  Nou -Resistance  with  one  voice  con- 
fidently assert  that  it  is  contrary  to  the  known  law  of 
Nature  and  therefore  must  be  false,  however  plausi- 
bly defended  from  the  Scriptures.  It  is  the  desig  i of 
the  present  chapter  to  refute  this  confident  assertion, 
and  to  demonstrate  that  Christian  non-resistance  is  in 
perfect  accordance  with  the  laws  of  Nature  considered 
in  all  their  developments.  I.  shall  endeavor  to  do 
this  Avith  arguments  sustained  by  numerous  facts  and 
illustrations  drawn  from  real  life. 

NATURE  AND  THE  LAWS  OF  NATURE  DEFINED. 

What  is  “Nature?”  and  Avhat  are  “the  laws  of  Na- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE.  99^ 

tare?”  These  terms  are  in  very  common  use  with  a 
certain  class  of  persons.  But  they  are  more  flippant- 
ly uttered  than  definitely  understood.  Doubtless  they 
may  properly  be  used  with  considerable  latitude  of 
meaning.  In  the  present  discussion,  however,  we 
must  be  definite  and  clear.  I shall,  therefore,  take 
the  term  “nature”  to  mean— the  essential  constituent 
elements,  properties,  qualities  aud  capabilities  of  any 
being  or  thing.  The  aggregate  of  these  is  the  nature 
of  auy  being  or  thing,  whether  the  particular  being 
or  thing  considered  be  ever  so  simple,  or  ever  so  com- 
plex. Whatever,  in  or  about  a beiug  or  thing,  is  not 
an  essential  constituent  element,  property,  quality  or 
capability  thereof,  is  not  an  absolute  necessary  of  it. 
And  what  is  not  generally  an  absolute  necessary  of  a 
being  or  thing,  is  not  a part  of  its  nature,  but  merely 
an  incidental  or  factitious  appendage.  Take  human 
nature,  as  that  particular  division  of  Universal  Ma- 
ture which  we  must  consider  in  this  discussion. 
There  are  elements,  properties,  qualities  and  capabili- 
ties essential  to  the  constitution  of  a human  being. 
These  are  common  to  the  race.  We  may  say  of  them 
in  general  that  they  are  the  absolute  inherent  neces 
saries  of  man — i.  e.  his  nature.  But  there  are  many 
incidental  and  factitious  elements,  properties, 
qualities  and  capabilities  in  aud  about  individuals 
and  communities  of  the  human  race,  which  are  the 
results  of  causes  and  circumstances,  either  temporary 
and  transient  in  their  operation  or  ultimately  remov- 
able by  human  efforts.  Aone  of  these  are  the  essen- 
tial constituents  of  human  nature.  They  may  all  be 
reversed  or  removed  without  annihilating  or  pervert- 
ing nature.  Let  this  be  well  understood.  Aext,  “the 
aws  of  nature.”  I understand  the  1 aws  of  nature  to 


100 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


be  those  forms,  modes  or  methods  according  to  which 
it  necessarily  operates  in  its  various  developments. 
"When  any  tendency  or  action  of  nature  is  observed  to 
be  uniform  under  given  circumstances  throughout  the 
sphere  of  our  knowledge,  we  infer  that  a certain  law 
or  necessity  governs  it.  Consequently,  we  speak  of  all 
things  as  governed  Dy  some  law  ot  nature.  AVhat  to 
us  is  uniform  and  universal, or  nearly  so,  we  regard  as 
the  result  of  nature’s  laws — a certain  necessity  of 
tendency  and  development,  which  determines  the 
form,  mode,  or  method  of  its  manifestation.  These 
laws  are  at  best  but  imperfectly  understood,  and  are 
oftener  talked  about  than  well  conceived  of.  They 
are  only  secondary  causes  in  a vast  chain  incompre- 
hensible to  finite  minds,  and  which  we  vaguely  trace 
to  a Supreme  First  Cause — the  Self- Existent  Divine 
Nature,  God.  What  we  can  with  any  propriety  as- 
sume to  know  of  those  undefinable  some-tilings, termed 
• - The  laws  of  nature,”  is  only  the  uniformity  and 
universality  of  their  results  within  the  narrow  sphere 
of  our  observation.  It  becomes  us  therefore  to  be 
- liumble  and  modest  iu  pronouncing  on  these  laws. 
We  k now  some  things  perhaps  beyond  possibility  of 
mistake.  Many  other  things  we  know  partially  and 
imperfectly;  concerning  which  it  is  our  besetting- 
weak  nesS  to  presume  that  we  know  a vast  deal  more 
than  we  really  do.  Of  the  great  whole  we  know 
comparatively  next  to  nothing.  Of  the  whole,  even 
-.of  those  natures  concerning  which  we  know  most,  we 
arti  extremely  ignorant,-  as  a few  thousand  j ears  of 
existence  and  continued  observation  would  no  doubt 
convince  us.  But  let  us  reason  as  well  as  we  can  from 
what  we  know,  and  learn  what  we  may  in  the  great 
.future. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-EESISTANC’E. 


101 


SELF-PRESERVATION  THE  FIRST  LAW  OF  NATURE. 

It  is  reiterated  that  “self-preservation  is  the  first 
law  of  nature.”  I grant  it,  and  then  what  follows? 
“Self-defence  against  whatever  threatens  destruction 
or  injury,”  says  the  opponent.  I grant  it,  and  what 
next  follows”?  “Generally  mutual  personal  conflict,, 
injury,  and,  in  extremities,  death.  Hence  there  are 
justifiable  homicides,  wars,  injuries  and  penal  inflic- 
tions. Nature  impels  them.  Her  law  of  self  preser- 
vation necessitates  them.  They  are  right  in  the  very 
nature  of  things:  and  therefore  non-resistance  must  be 
as  wrong,  as  it  is  impracticable.  It  is  contrary  to  na- 
ture, and  cannot  be  brought  into  practice.”  Let  us 
examine  these  bold  assertions.  I have  granted  that 
“self-preservation  is  the  first  law  of  nature.”  Also 
that  this  law  prompts  to  self-defence  against  whatever 
threatens  destruction  or  injury.  I also  admit  the  fact 
that  generally  men,  in  common  with  the  lower  ani- 
mals, fight,  injure,  and  frequently  slay  each  other  in 
self  defence,  or  for  something  supposed  to  be  neces- 
sary to  self-preservation.  In  granting  this  last,  I only 
grant  that  men  are  generally  very  fcolish  and  wickeds 

WHAT  IS  THE  TRUE  METHOD  OF  SELF  PEESERVAv 

TION. 

For  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  this  general 
method  of  self-preservation  be  the  true  method- 
Wh  ether  it  be  not  a very  bad  method..  Wdiether  j it  - 
be  not  a method  which  absolutely  defeats  its  own- de- 
signed object.  Let  us  inquire.  If  it  be  the  true 
method,  it  must  on  the  whole  work  well.  It  must 
preserve  human  life  and  secure  mankind  against  in- 
jury, more  certainly  and  effectually  than  any  other- 
possible  method.  Has  it  done  this?  I do  not  admit 


102 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


it.  How  happens  it  that,  according  to  the  lowest 
probable  estimate,  some  fourteen  thousand  millions  of 
human  beings  have  been  slain  by  human  means,  in 
war  and  otherwise  ? Here  are  enough  to  people  eigh- 
teen planets  like  the  earth  with  its  present  popula- 
tion. What  inconceiveable  miseries  must  have  been 
endured  by  these  worlds  of  people  and  their  friends, 
in  the  process  of  those  murderous  conflicts  which  ex- 
tinguished their  earthly  existence  ! Could  all  their 
dying  groans  be  heard  and  their  expiring  throes  be 
witnessed  at  once  by  the  existing  generation  of  men; 
could  their  blood  flow  together  hito  one  vast  lake, 
mingled  with  the  tears  of  their  bereaved  relatives; 
could  their  corpses  be  seen  piled  up  in  one  huge  pyra- 
mid; or  their  skeletons  be  contemplated  in  a broad 
golgotka,  would  it  be  deemed  conclusive  evidence  that 
mankind  has  practised  the  true  method  of  self-preser- 
vation ! ! Would  it  encourage  us  still  to  confide  in 
and  pursue  the  same  method  “?  Would  it  suggest  no 
inquiries,  whether  there  were  not  ‘ ‘ a more  excellent 
way?”  Should  we  not  be  impelled  to  conclude  that 
this  method  was  the  offspring  of  a purblind  instinct — 
the  cherished  salvo  of  ignorance — the  fatal  charm  of 
deluded  credulity — the  supposed  preserver,  but  the 
real  destroyer  of  the  human  family  ? If  this  long- 
trusted  method  of  self-preservation  be  indeed  the  best 
which  nature  affords  to  ln*r  children,  their  lot  is  most 
deplorable.  To  preserve  what  life  has  been  preserved 
at  such  a cost,  renders  life'  itself  a thing  of  doubtful 
value.  If  only  a few  thousands,  or  even  a few  mil- 
lions, had  perished  by  the  two  edged  sword;  if  inno- 
cence and  justice  and  right  had  uniformly  triumphed; 
if  aggression,  injustice,  violence,  injury  and  insult, 
after  a few  dreadful  experiences,  had  been  overawed; 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


103 


if  gradually  the  world  had  come  iuto  wholesome  or- 
der— a state  of  truthfulness,  justice  and  peace;  if  the 
sword  of  self  defence  had  frightened  the  sword  of  ag- 
gression iuto  its  scabbard,  there  to  consume  in  its 
rust;  then  might  we  admit  that  the  common  method 
of  self-preservation  was  the  true  one.  But  now  we 
have  ample  demonstration  that  they  who  take  the 
sword,  perish  with  the  sword.  Is  it  supposable  that 
if  no  injured  person  or  party,  since  the  days  of  Abel, 
had  lifted  up  a deadly  weapon,  or  threatened  an  in- 
jury against  an  offending  party,  there  would  have 
been  a thousandth  part  of  the  murders  and  miseries 
which  Lave  actually  takeu  place  on  our  earth  ? Take 
the  worst  possible  view;  resolve  all  the  assailed  and 
injured  into  the  most  passive  non-resistants  imagin- 
able, and  let  the  offenders  have  unlimited  scope  to 
commit  all  the  robberies,  cruelties  and  murders  they 
pleased;  would  as  many  lives  have  been  sacrificed,  or 
as  much  real  misery  have  been  experienced  by  the 
human  race,  as  have  actually  resulted  from  the  gener- 
al method  of  self-preservatian,  by  personal  conflict 
and  resistance  of  injury  witn  injury  ? He  must  be  a 
bold  man  who  affirms  it.  The  truth  is,  man  has  stcod 
in  his  own  light.  He  has  frustrated  his  own  wishes. 
He  has  been  deceived,  deluded,  betrayed,  and  all  but 
destroyed,  by  his  own  self  conceited,  evil  imagina- 
tion. He  would  not  be  taught  of  God.  He  would 
have  his  own  way.  He  would  be  a,  fool,  a spendthrift, 
a murderer  and  a suicide..  Yet  his  Father  still  calls 
after  him.  He  offers  to  make  him  wise,  good  and 
happy.  He  offers  to  teach  him  the  true  method  cf 
self  preservation.  It  is  found  in  the  non  resistance  of 
Jesus  Christ.  But  he  is  wretchedly  wedded  to  his 
old  idols,  and  will  scarcely  hear  the  voice  of  his  only 
true  friend.  When  he  will  hear,  he  shall  live. 


104 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


A DEMURRER  OF  THE  OBJECTOR. 

Judged  of  by  its  fruits  *tlie  common  and  much 
vaunted  method  of  self-preservation,  by  injurious  re- 
sistance, stands  hopelessly  condemned.  “But,  ” says 
the  opponent,  “you  have  judged  it  unjustly.  You 
have  charged  upon  it  the  destruction  of  fourteen 
thousand  millions  of  human  lives.  It  is  not  answer- 
able  for  a tythe  of  all  this.  It  is  answerable  only  for 
the  loss  of  life,  &c.,  in  cases  of  justifiable  homicide, 
war,  injury  and  penal  infliction.  All  the  rest  is 
chargeable  on  the  murderous  wickedness  of  wanton 
aggressors.  Yor  do  you  give  it  credit  for  the  lives  it 
has  actually  preserved,  and  the  injuries  it  has  pre- 
vented.” Answer.  I do  not  charge  injurious  resist 
ance  with  causing  all  these  murders;  but  I do  charge 
it  with  occasioning  most  of  them,  and  above  all  with 
being  no  adequate  preventive  of  them, — with  not  be- 
ing the  true  method  ot  self-preservation.  It  may  have 
preserved  many  lives,  and  prevented  much  injury  in 
particular  cases,  in  certain  localities,  but  what  has  it 
done  on  the  whole — on  the  great  scale  ? And  what 
has  it  absolutely  failed  to  do  ? It  has  absolutely 
failed  to  preserve  human  life  to  any  great  extent  and 
to  give  peace  to  the  world.  The  whole  world  is  in 
arms,  after  nearly  six  thousand  years  close  adherence 
to  this  method  of  self-preservation.  It  costs  the  hu- 
man race  more  to  maintain  the  various  means  of  this 
method,  than  for  religion,  government  and  education 
together.  There  must  be  a delusion  somewhere.  If 
there  were  no  such  method  in  operation,  the  worst 
that  could  happen  would  be  the  murders,  oppressions 
and  cruelties  of  unprovoked  aggression.  These  would 
be  dreadful  enough  ; but  they  would  be  nothing  in 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


105. 


comparison  with  the  results  heretofore  experienced, 
and  would  gradually  shrink  away  from  the  moral, 
majesty  of  a renovated  public  sentiment.  Besides,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  justifiable  homicide,  war, 
injury,  &c  , are  pleaded  on  all  sides  with  equal  earn- 
estness. After  a few  passes  with  the  sword,  a few 
rounds  of  musketry,  a few  assaults  and  retreats,  it  is- 
all  self-defence — all  justifiable  homicide,  violence  and 
destruction.  All  parties  are  seeking  only  to  conquer 
an  honorable  peace.  One  party  has  been  wronged 
in  point  of  honor,  another  in  person,  another  in. 
property, and  auother  in  imagination;  all  are  standing 
on  the  defensive;  all  are  for  carrying  out  the  first  law 
of  nature  by  the  common  method.  There  is  no  ulti- 
mate arbiter  but  the  sword.  Injury  must  be  resisted 
with  injury.  There  was  a first  aggression,  but  so 
many  mutual  wrongs  have  succeeded  between  the- 
parties,  that  none  but  God  can  determine  which  is 
most  culpable.  This  is  the  confusion  which  attends 
the  operation  of  the  general  method  of  self-preserva- 
tion. It  professes  to  eschew  all  aggression,  but  in- 
variably runs  into  it.  It  promises  personal  security, 
but  exposes  its  subjects  not  only  to  aggravated  assaults, 
but  to  every  species  of  danger,  sacrifice  and  calamity. 
It  shakes  the  fist,  brandishes  the  sword,  and  holds  up 
the  rod  in  terrorem  to  keep  the  peace,  but  constantly 
excites,  provokes  and  perpetuates  war.  It  nas  been 
a liar  from  the  beginning.  It  has  been  a satau  pro- 
fessing to  cast  out  satau,  yet  confirming  the  power 
and  multiplying  the  number  of  demons  which  possess 
our  unfortunate  race.  It  does-  not  conduce  to  self- 
preservation,  but  to  self- destruction,,  and  ought  there- 
fore to  be  discarded. 


106 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


THE  OBJECTOR  STIEE  PERSISTS — ANALOGY  OF  THE 
ANIMALS. 

But  our  opponent  will  not  yield  the  point.  “It  is 
the  nature  (says  he)  of  all  animals  to  fight  for  their 
lives  and  their  rights.  It  is  the  nature  of  man  to  do 
so.  He  is  a fighting  character  by  the  laws  of  his  be- 
ing. He  always  was  so,  and  always  will  be,  while 
there  is  aggression,  assault  and  abuse  in  the  world. 
When  all  men  are  willing  to  leave  off  giving  just 
cause  of  injurious  resistance,  there  will  be  peace; 
never  before.  You  may  make  the  common  method 
of  self-preservation  good  or  bad,  a blessing  or  a curse, 
better  than  nothing  or  worse  than  nothing;  man  will 
resist — will  fight — will  act  out  his  nature,  cost  what  it 
may.”  Answer.  Yot  so.  Yon  assume  too  much. 
Your  argument  goes  too  far.  Can  I not  prove  by 
your  own  reasoning  that  man  is  an  aggressor,  an  as- 
sailant, an  offender,  a robber  and  a murderer  by  na- 
ture ? He  has  been  practising  all  this  aggression  like 
some  of  the  lower  animals — the  beasts  and  birds  of 
prey — ever  since  the  time  of  Cain.  Is  this  a law  of 
his  nature,  as  well  as  the  other  ? Because  he  always 
has  done  these  things,  will  he,  and  must  he  forever 
continue  doing  them  ? You  say  injurious  resistance, 
war  and  bloodshed  will  never  cease  till  aggression 
ceases.  Will  aggression  ever  cease?  Can  it  ever 
cease?  Is  it  not  a necessary  result  of  the  laws  of  na- 
ture? What  is  the  conclusion  from  such  premises  but 
this, — that  man’s  nature  obliges  him  to  aggress  and 
resist  just  as  he  does,  and  there  is  no  hope  that  he 
will  ever  '’ease  doing  either.  Yone  but  an  atheist 
ought  to  put  forth  such  arguments.  I deny  that  there 
is  any  law  or  necessity  of  nature  obliging  man  to  in- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


107 


jure  his  fellow  man,  either  offensively  or  defensively; 
any  more  than  there  is  for  his  being  a drunkard,  of- 
fensive or  defensive,  to  everlasting  ages.  He  can 
cease  to  practice  both.  He  can  be  cured  of  his  war 
mania.  He  can  be  induced  to  abstain  from  commit- 
ting injury  by  aggression,  and  also  from  committing 
it  in  the  way  of  resistance.  The  question  is, whether 
we  shall  preach  non-resistance  to  the  good,  as  well  as 
non- aggression  to  the  bad;  or  whether  we  shall  insist 
only  on  non -aggression,  leaving  the  comparatively 
good  to  resist  injury  with  injury,  so  long  as  aggression 
shall  continue.  The  good  wish  the  bad  to  reform. 
Will  they  return  good  for  evil,  and  thereby  hasten 
their  reform?  or  will  they  return  evil  for  evil,  and 
thereby  frustrate  that  reform?  God  has  ordered  the 
work  begun  and  prosecuted  from  both  ends  at  once; 
the  bad  to  cease  aggressive  injury,  and  the  good  de- 
fensive injury.  Which  shall  take  the  lead  in  the 
great  work  of  reform  ? Shall  the  good  wait  till  the 
bad  cease  from  aggression,  before  they  leave  off  inflict- 
ing injury  in  self-defence?  Christianity  says  no.  It 
bids  them  be  ‘‘the  salt  of  the  earth,”  and  “the  light 
of  the  world;”  to  suffer  wrong  rather  than  do  wrong, 
“to  overcome  evil  with  good.”  Is  this  possible?  Or 
is  there  some  irresistible  necessity  in  the  laws  of  na-  • 
ture,  compelling  mankind  to  maintain  an  endless 
conflict  of  aggression  and  resistance  ? I deny  that 
there  is  any  such  necessity. 

COMMON  METHOD  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION  CERT  ATI  LY 
FALSE. 

It  is  plain  from  the  foregoing  discussion,  that  the 
general  method  of  self  preservation  by  injurious  and 
deadly  resistance  to  aggression, is  a false  method;  that 


108 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


it  has  tailed;  that  it  has  defeated  its  own  designed  ob- 
ject; that  it  has  constantly  ran  into  the  very  wrongs- 
it  aimed  to  prevent;  that  it  has  made  a bad  matter  in- 
comparably worse;  that  it  is  not  the  dictate  of 
absolute  nature,  but  a deplorable  mistake  of  the 
human  judgment  as  to  ways  and  means;  and  that 
some  other  method  must  be  substituted  for  it.  It  is 
equally  plain  that  nature  necessitates  aggression  as- 
certainly  as  it  does  injurious  resistance  to  aggression; 
that  in  fact  it  necessitates  neither;  and  that  non-resist- 
ance, as  I have  defined  it,  is  no  more  contrary  to  na- 
ture than  non-aggression.  Both  aggressive  and  re 
sistant  injury  car  be  unlearned/  abandoned  and  for- 
ever eschewed,  without  annihilating  or  perverting 
any  essential  constituent,  element,  property,  quality 
or  capability  of  human  beings.  More  than  this,  men 
brought  up  to  that  moral  excellency  will  be  more 
thoroughly  and  perfectly  men  than  in  any  inferior 
state.  Their  whole  nature,  physical,  mental,  moral 
and  religious,  will  then  he  more  symmetrically  and 
gloriously  developed  than  now.  If  so,  non-resistance 
cauuot  be  contrary  to  nature.  Nor,  if  embraced  and 
carried  into  practice,  will  it  fail  to  ensure  the  most 
universal  and  complete  self-preservation.  It  wilL 
prove  to  be  the  true  method  demanded  by  that  first 
great  law  of  nature. 

I now  confidently  proceed  with  the  assertion  that 
Christian  non  resistance  is  in  perfect  accordance  with 
the  known  laws  of  nature,  and  absolutely  necessary  to 
harmonize  their  development  by  correcting  the  un- 
toward influence  of  many  evil  circumstances  under 
which  they  have  heretofore  acted. 

EIVE  GREAT. LAWS  OF  HUMAN  NATURE  CONSIDERED. 

Let  us  bring  into  view  the  prominent  laws  of  na.- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE.  10!) 

ture.  I will  mention  five  of  the  most  fundamental: 
They  are  self-preservation,  social  affinity,  religious 
and  moral  obligation,  rational  harmony  and  progres- 
sion. These  may  be  pronounced  universal  and  eternal. 
Under  the  law  of  self-preservation,  which  is  substan- 
tially identical  with  self  love,  man  instinctively  de- 
sires to  exist  and  be  happy.  He  dreads  death;  he 
guards  against  injury:  he  endeavors  to  keep  what 
good  he  already  has,  and  in  a thousand  ways  strive 
to  acquire  more.  He  is  constantly  prompted  by  this 
law  to  take  care  of  himself,  and  ensure  his  supposed 
highest  welfare.  But  the  ways  and  means  are  neither 
dictated  nor  indicated  by  this  law.  These  come  from 
another  law.  Hence  it  not  unfrequently  happens  that 
men  ignorantly  resort  to  wa]  s and  means  of  preserv- 
ing and  benefiting  themselves,  which  frustrate  their 
object,  and  even  result  in  their  destruction.  Under 
the  law  of  social  affinity  the  sexes  unite,  families  are 
reared  up,  friendships  contracted,  communities,  states 
and  nations  formed,  and  all  the  social  relations,  affec- 
tions, sympathies  and  bonds  superinduced.  Man  is 
necessitated  by  this  law  to  be  a social  being,  and  to 
share  the  good  and  ill  of  life  with  others.  But  this 
law  does  not  necessarily  teach  him  the  best  method  of 
social  action— the  true  ways  and  means  of  the  highest 
social  usefulness  and  enjoyment.  Hence  he  often 
forms  the  most  unsuitable  connections,  and  contri- 
butes to  uphold  the  most  perverse  social  institutions. 
But  a social  being,  for  better  or  worse  he  always  was, 
and  always  must  be.  Under  the  law  of  religious  and 
moral  obligation  lie  confesses,  worships  and  serves  a 
God;  feels  a sense  of  dependence,  gratitude  and  duty; 
is  conscious  that  there  is  right  and  wrong  in  human 
conduct;  that  he  can  choose  either,  but  that  he  is  ac- 


110 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


countable  for  tlie  choice  he  makes— for  his  use  or 
abuse  of  ability  possessed;  feels  guilty  when  he  does 
what  he  supposes  to  be  wrong  and  approved  when  he 
does  what  he  believes  to  be  right.  Hence  arises  a 
perpetual  conflict  between  the  lower  and  higher  por- 
tions of  his  nature.  The  carnal  or  mere  animal  mind 
goes  for  unrestrained  indulgence.  The  spiritual  con- 
tinually says,  u do  right,  refrain  Irom  all  else,  how- 
ever ardently  desired.  ” His  propensities  would  run 
riot  down  the  broad  road  to  destruction.  But  his  re 
ligious  and  moral  sentiments  connect  him  with  God 
and  eternity,  and  forbid  him  all  sensual  indulgence 
which  can  endanger  his  spiritual  welfare.  He  must 
do  the  will  of  God;  must  deny  himself;  must  do  right 
at  all  hazards.  He  must  not  even  preserve  his  life  or 
seek  any  good  for  himself  by  wrong  doing.  Thus  is 
he  checked,  straitened,  restrained  and  disciplined. 
But  even  this  law,  grand  and  powerful  as  it  is,  does 
not  at  once  acquaint  him  with  the  true  God,  nor  with 
the  true  right  and  wrong — the  perfect  righteousness. 
Hence,  millions  have  worshipped  false  gods,  been 
superstitiously  religious,  and  verily  thought  rnany 
things  were  right,  which  were  in  fact  utterly  wrong. 
Yet  man  always  was,  and  always  must  be  a religious 
and  moral  being,  in  some  way,  to  some  extent.  He 
cannot  escape  from  this  law  of  his  nature.  Next  comes 
the  law  of  rational  harmony  or  consistency.  This 
ever  prompts  men  to  delight  in  the  harmony  of 
things — the  consistency  and  agreement  of  one  thing 
with  another — and  of  parts  of  things  with  their  whole. 
He  is  uneasy,  dissatisfied,  disturbed  and  restless  on 
account  of  incongruities,  contradictions,  incompati- 
bilities and  hostilities,  in  himself  and  all  things 
around  him.  Hence  his  intellectual  powers,  and 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


Ill 


specially  Ms  reasoning  faculties,  are  constantly  on. 
the  stretch  to  detect  and  remove  the  causes  of  disturb- 
ance, the  points  of  contradiction.  If  he  can  do  noth- 
ing else,  he  finds  fault,  grumbles  and  complains  about 
this  or  that  presumed  evil.  If  farther  advanced,  he 
becomes  a reformer  and  agitates  the  world.  He  may 
be  a reformer  in  religion,  morals,  government,  educa- 
tion, science,  art  or  whatever  comes  in  his  way— theo- 
retical or  practical.  And  if  he  cannot  construct  what 
ought  to  be,  he  will  at  least  destroy  or  modify  what 
ought  not  to  be.  This  restless  activity  of  the  human 
mind  comes  from  a deep,  undefiuable,  irresistible  de- 
sire to  get  rid  of  contradictions  and  reduce  things  to 
harmony,  to  consistency.  This  is  the  great  desider- 
atum. Contradiction  and  inconsistency  are  the  infal- 
lible indications  of  falsehood  and  wrong.  For  truth 
and  right  must  be  harmonious.  They  cannot  involve 
contradiction  and  discord,  where  they  alone  exist. 
Here  then  is  a universal,  irresistible  law  of  our  na- 
ture. It  has  done  much  to  correct  and  reform  the  er- 
rors ensuing  from  human  ignorance  and  depravity. 
But  it  has  an  infinite  deal  more  to  do.  The  fifth  law 
is  that  of  progression.  This  follows  close  on  the  heels 
of  the  others,  or  rather  co-exists  with  them.  It  is  this 
which  impels  man  to  aspire  after  something  higher  and 
better  than  the  present.  Hence  he  observes,  imitates, 
learns,  inquires,  invents,  hopes  and  perseveres,  im 
proves,  progresses,  and  will  forever  progress  amid  new 
wonders  and  with  new  achievements  of  mind  world 
without  end.  His  nature  will  not  permit  him  to  be- 
come stationary. 

THESE  LAWS  RADICALLY  HARMONIOUS. 

Aow  all  these  fundamental  laws  of  our  nature  must 


112 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


Tie  radically  agreeable  to  each  other.  There  can  be 
no  essential  incongruity  or  discord  among  them.  And 
when  they  shall  have  had  their  perfect  work , man  must 
be  a lovely  and  glorious  being.  The  human  family  must 
be  an  affectionate,  wise,  holy,  harmonious,  happy 
family.  Look  at  the  legitimate  results.  LllltL.  law  of 
self-preservation  or  self-love  will  secure  its  desired  ob- 
ject, just  when  thj?Jaw_ofj5oc^^  makes  every 

fellow  human  be  a second  self — a co-self — never  to  be 
injured.  This  will  take  place  when  t_he  law  of  relig- 
ious and  moral  obligation  completely  subdues  the  pro- 
pensities to  the  sense  ot'  duty,  attaches  the  soul  indis- 
solubly to  the  true  God,  and  renders  right  identical 
with  the  absolute  highest  good.  And  this  will  be  has- 
tened by  the  intense  workings  of  the,  law  of  rational 
harmony.  which  will  detect  and  expose  error,  reform 
abuses,  revolutionize  false  opinions,  maxims,  institu- 
tions, customs  and  habits,  and  bring  to  light  in  all 
things  the  “ most  excellent  way.”  There  is  a true 
God,"  and  this  law  will  never  let  man  rest  till  he  finds 
him.  There  is  a real  right  and  wrong,  the  eternal 
reality;  and  this  law  will  at  length  bring  all  men  to 
see  and  feel  it.  There  is  a consistency,  an  absolute 
harmony  of  things,  and  this  law  will  turn  and  over- 
turn till  it  be  attained.  All  this  is  possible  under  the 
law  of  progression.  By  this  knowledge  will  be  in- 
creased, light  will  be  added  to  light,  truth  to  truth, 
and  triumph  to  triumph.  Ignorance,  error,  folly,  sin 
will  be  left  behind.  Improvement  will  follow  improve- 
ment in  all  that  needs  improvement,  till  the  jarring 
elements  be  reconciled,  and  one  soft,  sweet,  supernal 
harmony  consummate  the  happiness  of  the  whole  cre- 
ation. This  is  the  glorious  result  to  which  the  de- 
clared will  of  God,  the  predictions  of  his  holy  pro- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


113 


phets  ancl  the  prayers  of  saints  through  all  past  gener- 
ations have  ever  pointed,  and  do  still  look  forward. 
Then  will  there  be  no  war,  no  violence,  no  wrong,  no 
sorrow. 

“ All  crimes  shall  cease,  and  ancient  fraud  shall  fail; 

Returning  Justice  lift  aloft  her  scale; 

Peace  o’er  the' world  her  olive  wand  extend, 

And  white  robed  Innocence  from  heaven  descend  ” 

There  shall  be  none  to  hurt  or  destroy,  for  all  the 
earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  God/] 

NON-RESISTANCE  IN  PERFECT  UNISON  WITH  THESE 

LAWS. 

Xow,  is  the  doctrine  of  Christian  non-resistance 
contrary  to  these  general  laws  of  human  nature?  Is 
it  contrary  to  the  law  of  self-preservation  ? Does  it 
propose  to  destroy  or  preserve  life;  to  increase  or  di- 
minish human  injury;  to  make  mankind  more  miser- 
able or  to  render  them  infinitely  more  safe,  secure  and 
happy  ? It  proposes  the  very  thing  which  the  law  of 
self-preservation  demands,  viz:  the  universal  inviola- 
bility of  human  life  now  held  so  cheap  and  sacrificed 
so  recklessly.  Is  this  doctrine  contrary  to  the  law  of 
social  affinity  1 The  very  reverse.  It  stretches  forth 
the  hand  of  love  to  the  children  of  men,  and  entreats 
them  to  consider  themselves  one  great  brotherhood; 
to  refrain  from  murdering  and  persecuting  each  other  , 
to  love  one  another,  to  bear  every  thing  ofone  another 
sooner  than  to  kill  or  injure  each  other  ? Is  not  this 
just  what  the  law  of  social  affinity  demands?  Is  the 
doctrine  contrary  to  the  law  of  religious  and  moral  ob- 
ligation? It  is  an  integral  part  of  the  divine  law,  de- 
clared and  exemplified  by  the  Son  of  God.  It  is  the 
keystone  in  the  arch  of  moral  obligation.  And  to  ful- 


114 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


fil  it  in  practice  is  the  highest  obedience  to  God, — the 
purest  devotion  to  eternal  right.  It  is  putting  duty 
before  all  thiugs.  Is  it  contrary  to  the  law  of  rational 
harmony?  Surely  not.  It  eschews  all  war,  all  vio- 
lence, all  injury,  all  social  discord,  all  combatting  of 
wrong  with  wrong,  evil  with  evil,  and  lays  the  only 
ample  foundation,  deep  on  the  rock  of  principle,  for 
the  pacification  and  harmony  of  the  world.  If  men 
would  only  restrain  themselves  from  mutual  injury, 
how  soon  would  they  be  able  to  ascertain  all  impor- 
tant truths,  and  to  correct  all  essential  errors  of  theory 
and  practice.  But  now,  instead  of  discussion  and  ar- 
gument, brute  force  rises  up  to  the  rescue  of  discom- 
fited error,  and  crushes  truth  and  right  into  the  dust. 
‘‘Might  makes  right,  ” and  hoary  folly  totters  on  in 
her  mad  career  escorted  by  armies  and  navies.  Is  our 
doctrine  contrary  to  the  lawT  of  progression  ? It  is  a 
striking  fruit  and  proof  of  that  law.  It  takes  for 
granted  that  man  has  been  a noisy,  fretful,  buffeted 
child  long  enough;  that  it  is  time  for  him  to  act  like  a 
reasonable  being;  that  he  ought  to  be,  and  can  be  gov- 
erned by  moral  power;  that  he  has  been  carnally 
minded  long  enough,  and  ought  now  to  become  spiri- 
tually minded:  that  he  has  quarreled,  fought  and  been 
flogged  enough;  that  he  is  capable  of  acting  from  high- 
er motives  and  better  principles  than  resisting  evil 
with  evil;  and  that  he  can,  if  he  will  only  try,  “over- 
come evil  with  good,  ” and  thus  approximate  the  an- 
gelic nature.  It  is  emphatically  a doctrine  of  glorious 
moral  and  spiritual  progress — of  progress  from  bar- 
barism to  Christian  perfection.  Nothing  can  be  more 
untrue  than  that  non-resistance  is  contrary  to  the 
laws  of  nature.  It  is  in  perfect  accordance  with  them. 
It  is  only  contrary  to  the  false,  foolish,  perverse,  self- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


115- 


defeating  methods,  ways  and  means  by  which  man,  in 
his  ignorance  and  delusion,  has  heretofore  attempted 
to  execute  the  dictates  of  those  laws.  It  is  at  war 
with  man’s  ignorance,  blind  self-will,  and  vicious 
habits;  but  not  with  his  welfare,  nor  the  laws  of  his 
nature.  As  well  might  the  inveterate  drunkard, 
bound  to  the  intoxicating  cup  by  long  confirmed  hab- 
it, plead  that  total  abstinence  was  contrary  to  nature. 
It  is  in  fact  this  very  cup  which  is  contrary  to  his  na- 
ture; and  though  often  resorted  to  for  preservation 
and  invigoration,  it  has  crowded  him  to  the  brink  of 
an  untimely  grave.  Still  he  clings  to  it  as  his  life  and 
health.  Just  so  our  drunkards  of  injurious  resistance. 
They  can  depend  on  nothing  so  confidently  as  the 
means  of  deadly  resistance  for  self-preservation  and 
personal  security.  They  imagine  that  if  they  were  to 
renounce  these,  their  lives,  rights  and  happiness, 
would  have  no  protection  left.  But  they  will  one  day 
learn  better. 

A LAW  OF  UNIVERSAL  NATURE.  LIKE  BEGETS  ITS 
LIKE. 

I will  now  introduce  another  law  of  natm-p — n law 
of  universal  nature— and  including,  of  course,  human 
beiugs  in  its  scope.  It  is  this,  that  like  must  beget 
its  like — physical,  mental,  moral,  spiritual.  Is  non- 
resistance  contrary  to  this  law  of  nature  ? Does  it  be- 
get its  like  ? or  does  it  beget  resistance  ? This  is  a 
practical  question,  and  will  settle  the  dispute.  Either 
the  true  spirit  of  non-resistance  begets  a correspond- 
ing spirit,  or  it  begets  a violent  and  pugnacious 
spirit  ? Which  is  it  ? Either  the  practice  of  non-re- 
sistance tends  to  disarm  and  relax  the  fury  of  the  as- 
sailing party,  or  to  encourage,  excite,  and  confirm 


116 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


him  in  his  attack.  Which  is  it?  If  the  latter,  it  is 
contrary  to  that  law  of  nature  which  necessitates  the 
generation  of  like  by  like.  If  the  former,  it  harmon- 
izes with  that  law.  And  if  this  be  true,  it  is  the  very 
doctrine  necessary  to  fill  the  world  with  peace.  It 
is  worth  while  then  to  ascertain  the  truth  on  this  point. 

Let  me  commence  by  asking  if  the  very  injury  I 
am  endeavoring  to  get  discarded  is  not  generated  by 
injury  ? Why  does  the  assailed  person  inflict  injury 
on  the  offender?  “To  defend  himself,”  it  will  be 
said.  But  why  defend  himself  by  doing  injury  to  the 
other  party  ? “Because  that,  and  that  only,  will  ef- 
fect the  object.”  How  is  this  certain  ? What  puts  it 
into  the  heart  or  the  head  of  the  assailed  party  to  re- 
pel injury  with  injury?  It  is  like  begetting  its  like  ; 
injury  suggesting,  prompting,  and  producing  injury. 
No  better  way  is  thought  of  or  desired,  than  life  for 
life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  blow  for  blow,  force 
for  force,  injury  for  injury.  “I  will  do  unto  him  as  he 
hath  done  to  me.  It  is  good  enough  for  him.  He 
shall  be  paid  in  his  own  coin.  He  shall  be  taught  bet- 
ter after  his  own  fashion.”  This  is  the  feeling  and 
language  of  the  Resistant.  Here  is  a proof  that  the 
disposition  to  injure  begets  a disposition  to  injure, and 
•theact  of  injury  induces  a counter  injury.  What, then, 
will  be  the  subsequent  effect?  If  a man  strike  me  vio- 
lently, and  I return  the  blow  with  equal  or  greater  vio- 
lence, will  not  my  blow  call  for  a third,  and  so  on, 
till  the  weaker  party  cries  “hold?”  This  is  the  law 
of  nature.  Hoes  the  opponent  plead  that  the  aggres- 
sor, being  severely  repelled,  and  knowing  himself  in 
the  wrong,  will  retreat  and  learn  to  be  civil  This 
will  depend  on  which  of  the  parties  can  strike  the 
hardest,  and  injure  the  worst.  If  the  aggressor  be 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE.  117 

the  stronger  party,  he  will  only  fight  the  harder,  till 
his  antagonist  is  subdued.  If,  however,  he  be  the 
weaker  party,  he  will  yield  from  necessity  and  not 
from  principle — retaining  his  impotent  revenge  in 
his  heart,  to  fester  there  till  a better  opportunity. 
If  justice  or  conscience  lhave  anything  to  do  in  re- 
straining him,  they  would  work  much  more  mightily 
on  his  soul  if  the  injured  party  should  refuse  to  strike 
back  at  all.  So  the  argument  in  this  case  turns 
wholly  in  favor  of  my  doctrine. 

GENERAL  ILLUSTRATIONS  IN  COMMON  LIFE. 

Let  ns  now  look  into  the  common  affairs  of  life, 
amid  scenes  familiar  to  common  experience  and  ob- 
servation. We  see  one  man  with  very  large  combat- 
iveness and  feeble  counteracting  predispositions'.  If 
this  man  meets  with  another  of  the  same  character, he 
is  almest  sure  to  fight,  quarrel,  or  at  least,  violently' 
dispute.  He  is  surcharged  and  throws  off  in  all  di- 
rections a sort  of  phrenomagnetic  fluid  of  war.  No 
sooner  does  he  come  in  contact  with  another  like  him- 
self, than  they  mutually  inflame  each  other.  He  car- 
ries strife  and  debate  and  violence  with  him  where- 
ever  he  goes.  Even  many,  who  are  usually  civil  and 
peaceable,  are  presently7  provoked  into  a combat  with 
him.  He  magnetises,  to  a certain  extent,  every  sus- 
ceptible being  with  whom  he  meets.  If  he  can  live 
peaceably  with  any,  it  is  those  only  who  from  natural 
predisposition,  or  moral  principle,  are  non-resistants: 
towards  him.  These  he  will  make  uncomfortable  ; but 
by  bearing  with  him,  and  suffering  some  abuse  with 
patience,  they  cau  keep  him  comparatively  decent, 
and  may  pass  their  lives  near  him  without  any7  seri- 
ous outbreak.  Who  has  not  seen  some  such  persons? 


118 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


And  who  does  not  know  that  such  can  never  be  cured 
by  violence  and  injurious  resistance.  They  may  be 
beaten  and  bruised  half  to  death  over  and  over  again, 
with  no  other  result  than  to  make  them  two-fold 
more  the  children  of  wrath  than  before.  This  kind 
of  evil  is  not  cast  out,  except  by  prayer,  fasting  and 
abstinence  from  violence. 

Here  is  another  man  with  overweening  self-esteem. 
He  is  proud,  haughty,  disdainful  and  overbearing  in 
all  his  ways.  What  happens  when  two  suchmeit? 
Is  there  not  a reciprocal  inflammation  of  the  irritable 
organs?  Do  they  not  mutually  swell,  defy  and  repel 
each  other  ? Each  will  accuse  the  other  of  the  same 
fault,  and  denounce  such  haughtiness  as  intolerable 
never  once  suspecting  that  it  is  a reflection  of  his  own 
face  in  the  other  which  seems  so  detestable.  Suppose 
one  of  these  characters  to  move  among  other  persons 
ordinarily  humble  and  unassuming.  Let  him  treat 
them  with  marked  neglect,  scorn  or  indifference;  and 
what  will  be  the  effect?  Their  moderate  self-esteem 
will  be  excited.  Their  attitude  will  become  more  per- 
pendicular. Their  heads  will  poise  backward,  and 
they  will  begin  to  mutter,  “he  feels  himself  above 
common  folks;  but  he  shall  know  that  others  are  some- 
thing as  well  as  himself.  We  are  not  to  be  looked 
down  by  his  contempt.”  Whence  this  sudden  rising 
of  self-esteem  in  their  minds  ? It  has  been  begotten, 
or  at  least  excited,  by  the  over-charged  battery  of  the 
magnetiser.  Like  produces  its,  like.  Reverse  the 
case.  Suppose  a person  of  great  talents,  wealth  or 
weight  of  personal  influence.  This  character  natural- 
ly commands  great  respect;  but  he  is  humble,  unas- 
suming and  particularly  respectful  to  all  around:  to 
the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich,  the  unlearned  as  well  as 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


119 


the  learned,  and  persons  in  the  lower  walks  of  life 
as  well  as  those  in  the  higher.  How  is  he  beloved 
and  esteemed  by  the  majority  of  mankind?  ‘‘He  is 
not  proud, ” says  one.  “He  is  not  above  any  one.” 
says  another.  “I  always  love  to  meet  him  and  be 
with  him,”  says  another,  “because  he  is  so  kind,  un- 
assuming and  friendly  with  every  body.  ” Even  the 
envious  and  grumbling  are  half  disarmed  when  they 
come  in  contact  with  such  a person.  Like  begets  its 
like,  as  before. 

Yonder  is  a man  excessively  given  to  acquisitive- 
ness. He  must  al  ways  have  the  best  end  of  a bargain . 
He  must  skin  something  from  every  one  with  whom 
he  has  dealings,  and  is  sure  to  get  the  half  cent  when- 
ever he  “makes  change.”  He  is  never  pleased  but 
when  he  is  feathering  his  own  nest.  Yet  no  man 
complains  of  tight  people  more  than  he.  He  seldom 
meets  with  a person  who  in  his  opinion  is  entirely 
willing  to  do  unto  others  as  he  would  be  done  unto. 
What  is  the  difficulty  ? This  man’s  selfishness  mag- 
netises those  with  whom  he  deals.  His  acquisitive- 
ness excites  theirs  and  they  stand  up  for  their  own. 
They  are  not  going  to  be  cheated  by  him.  They  are 
determined  not  to  indulge  his  rapacious  avarice. 
They  make  it  a point  not  to  let  him  cheat  them,  filch 
away  their  property  in  a bargain,  or  extort  it  in  the 
shape  of  usury.  They  even  become  tenacious  about 
the  half  cent  when  they  are  settling  with  him.  And 
many  who  would  not  otherwise  stand  for  a trifle  make 
it  a point  not  to  give  him  the  least  advantage.  “ Let 
us  look  out  for  old  hunks,  ” say  they.  The  half  cent 
is  nothing,  but  he  shall  not  have  it.  Like  produces 
its  like.  Hence  conflicts  and  resistance.  Reverse  the 
character.  Suppose  a generous  whole  souled  man,  al- 


120 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


ways  careful  to  give  large  measure  and  weight,  always 
scrupulous  uot  to  exact  more  than  his  own,  and  al- 
ways sure  to  throw  the  trifle  into  his  neighbor’s  scale, 
rather  than  even  seem  to  be  small  in  his  own  favor. 
How  many  of  the  very  same  persons  observed  to  be 
sharp  and  close  with  the  acquisitive  dealer,  relax 
their  vigilance,  become  indifferent  about  small  mat- 
ters, and  even  insist  that  they  will  not  always  take 
the  half  cent,  of  a man  so  willing  to  yield  it.  Is  not 
this  nature  in  every  day  life  ? 

It  is  not  so  with  a blackguard  and  a reviler.  He 
assails  a man  with  hard  words,  abusive  epithets  and 
reviling  expressions.  Unless  the  man  be  particularly 
on  his  guard,  or  naturally  of  a very  mild  disposition, 
or  a well  principled  non-resistant,  he  will  be  excited, 
and  teu  to  one  return  a broadside  as  terrible  as  he  has 
received.  His  teeth  are  set  on  edge  and  his  tongue  is 
fired  from  beneath.  He  rails,  abuses,  reviles  and 
curses  too.  But  let  the  true  Christian  receive  this 
storm  of  enveuomed  words,  and  they  strike  his  shield 
of  self  composure,  only  to  rattle  for  a moment  like 
hailstones  on  its  surface,  and  then  fall  harmlessly 
about  his  feet.  A second  and  a third  discharge  suc- 
ceed, but  he  still  remains  calm.  The  assailant  is  half 
vexed,  quite  confounded,  and  soon  grows  ashamed  of 
himself.  He  either  quits  the  field  or  listens  to  reason, 
and  perhaps  is  constrained  to  beg  pardon  for  his  rude- 
ness. At  all  events  he  never  remembers  his  abuse  of 
a calm,  kind-hearted,  firm  minded  man,  without  pe- 
culiar mortification.  And  if  every  man  who  occupies 
a place  in  the  better  ranks  of  society  would  treat  him 
in  the  same  manner,  he  would  ultimately  be  entirely 
cured  of  the  bad  humor  about  his  tongue.  So  true  is 
it  that  “a  soft  answer  turnetli  away  wrath;  but  griev- 
ous words  stir  up  anger.  ” 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


1211 


These  familiar  workings  of  this  law  of  nature  ought 
to  open  the  most  unwilling  eyes  to  the  fact,  that  non- 
resistance,  instead  of  being  contrary  to  nature,  is  in 
strict  accordance  with  it.  And  if  it  is  confessedly  the 
object  of  good  men  to  do  away  with  violence,  cruelty, 
murder,  and  all  the  great  crimes  which  blast  the  hap- 
piness of  humanity,  they  ought  to  know  that  it  never 
can  be  done  by  rendering  evil  for  evil — injury  for  in- 
jury. Like  must  produce  its  like,  and  unless  we  op- 
pose the  injuries  of  evil-doers  with  a disposition  and 
treatment  the  very  contrary  of  theirs,  we  shall  only 
incite,  confirm  and  educate  their  evil  hearts  to  worse 
and  worse  conduct.  We  shall  only  reproduce  mani- 
fold the  very  evils  we  so  strenuously  resist.  Though 
the  injuries  we  do  them  are  doue  only  in  resistance  of 
aggression,  still  they  follow"  the  same  law.  They  pro- 
duce their  like.  They  breed  a fresh  brood  of  injuries. 
If  this  be  not  strictly  true  in  each  individual  case,  it 
is  true  on  the  great  wdiole.  The  effect,  directly  or  in- 
directly, sooner  or  later,  w ill  be  produced. 

SPECIAL  ILLUSTRATIONS— FACTS  FROM 

• REAL  LIFE. 

I nowr  propose  to  offer  a series  of  facts  from  real 
life,  illustrative  of  the  truths  for  wThich  I am  contend- 
ing, and  in  confirmation  of  my  arguments. 

SUBDUED  PRIDE  AND  SCORN. 

A lady,  in  one  of  the  neighboring  towns  to  that  in 
which  the  w riter  resides,  had  repeatedly  treated  a 
well  disposed  young  man  with  marked  contempt  and 
unkindness.  Neither  of  them  moved  in  the  upper  cir- 
cles of  society,  but  the  lady,  without  cause,  took  num- 
erous occasions  to  cast  reproachful  reflections  on  the 


122 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


young  man  as  beneath  her  notice,  and  unfit  to  be 
treated  with  common  respect.  This  lady  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  meet  with  a considerable  loss  in  the  de- 
struction of  a valuable  chaise,  occasioned  by  the  run- 
ning away  of  an  untied  horse.  She  had  borrowed  the 
horse  and  vehicle,  and  was  required  to  make  good  the 
damage.  This  was  a serious  draft  on  her  pecuniary 
resources,  and  she  felt  much  distressed  by  her  ill  for- 
tune. The  young  man,  being  of  a kind  and  generous 
disposition,  and  determined  to  return  good  for  evil, 
instantly  set  himself  about  collecting  money  for  her 
relief.  Subscribing  liberally  himself,  and  actively  so- 
liciting others,  he  soon  made  up  a generous  sum,  and 
before  she  became  aware  of  his  movement,  appeared 
before  her  and  placed  his  collection  modestly  at  her 
disposal.  She  was  thunderstruck.  He  left  her  with- 
out waiting  for  thanks  or  commendation.  She  was 
entirely  overcome,  wept  like  a child,  and  declared  she 
would  never  be  guilty  again  of  showing  contempt, 
speaking  reproachfully  of,  or  treating  with  unkind- 
ness, him  or  any  other  fellow  creature.  Was  there 
anything  in  all  this  contrary  to  nature  ? 

THE  MAN  WHOSE  TEMPER  WAS  BROKEN.' 

A man  of  my  acquaintance,  on  hearing  some  re- 
marks I had  made  on  this  subject,  observed  that  he 
knew,  by  experience,  the  doctrine  was  correct ; and 
though  he  himself  had  never  practised  non-resistance 
from  principle  in  his  general  life,  he  practised  it  from 
impulse  on  one  occasion  with  astonishing  success.  He 
was  brought  up  with  a childless  uncle  of  his,  who  was 
remarkable  for  violent  anger  wheu  excited,  and  for 
the  cruelty  with  which  he  beat  his  cattle,  and  such 
boys  as  he  had  taken  to  bring  up,  whenever  they  pro- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


123 


vokecl  his  vengeance.  He  could  bear  but  little  from 
boy  or  brute,  and,  therefore,  was  a frequent  and  furi- 
ous whipper  till  considerably  past  the  middle  age  of 
life.  The  narrator  stated  that  he  was  well  nigh  a 
man  grown,  when  on  a certain  occasion  the  two  went 
into  the  woods  with  the  team,  in  winter,  to  take  home 
fuel.  At  length,  when  on  their  way  out  of  the  woods 
through  an  unbeaten  path,  the  sled  struck  some  ob- 
stacle concealed  under  the  snow,  and  the  team  was 
completely  set.  The  uncle,  provoked  at  this  inter- 
ruption, cried  out  to  his  nephew,  who  held  the  whip, 
to  drive  on  and  put  the  cattle  through.  He  shouted, 
and  used  the  lash  to  order,  but  in  vain,  the  sled  was 
fast.  “My  uncle  flew  into  a most  violent  rage,”  said 
he,  “and  seizing  a club  from  the  load  came  furiously 
at  me  with  terrible  threats,  as  the  author  of  the 
whole  mischief.  I felt  entirely  innoceut,  and  for  the 
moment  determined  I would  not  further  resist  my 
uncle’s  wrath  than  to  exchange  my  whip  for  his  clubi 
which  was  nearly  of  the  size  of  a common  sled  stake. 
As  he  rushed  upon  me,  with  uplifted  weapon,  I firmly 
grasped  it  with  one  hand,  reached  out  my  cart-whip 
with  the  other,  and  said:  'Here,  uncle  you  shall  not 
beat  me  with  such  a thing— take  the  whip.’  He  in- 
stantly relinquished  the  stick  of  wood,  and  seizing  the 
cart-whip,  beat  me  outrageously  over  the  head, 
shoulders  and  back.  He  then  offered  me  the  whip, ex- 
claiming with  stern  vehemence,  — 'now  drive  that 
team  home!’  I calmly  but  firmly  replied,  no;  I have 
done  my  best,  and  shall  not  try  again;  drive  it  your- 
self, uncle.  Upon  this  he  violently  assailed  the  poor 
oxen,  shouting,  screaming,  and  beating  them  quite  as 
mercilessly  as  he  had  me,  till  he  fairly  gave  out  from 
exhaustion.  Pausing  for  a moment’s  rest,  and  com- 


124 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


iug  a little  to  his  reason,  he  commenced  searching  for 
the  obstacle,  and  soon  found  that  a large  sized  sapling 
had  falleu  across  the  path  and  become  firmly  bedded 
in  the  subsequent  snows.  Having  ascertained  this, 
he  directed  me  to  cut  off  the  trunk,  in  order  to  its  re- 
moval. I commenced,  my  back  and  shoulders  smart- 
ing grievously  from  their  undeserved  stripes.  When 
partly  through,  I looked  up  at  my  uncle  and  said— 
‘uncle  do  you  feel  any  better  for  the  cruel  beating  yon 
have  given  me1?’  He  looked  pale  and  conscience- 
stricken,  and  without  a word  of  reply  started  for 
home.  I extricated  the  load,  and  without  further 
difficulty  drove  the  team  to  its  destination.  From 
that  time,  sir,  my  uncle  never  broke  out  into  his  old 
gusts  of  passion;  never  struck,  scolded  or  abused  me; 
never  mistreated  his  cattle;  and,  going  quite  to  the 
opposite  extreme,  suffered  himself  to  be  several  times- 
almost  imposed  on  by  a mischievous  lad  he  had  tak- 
en to  bring  up,  without  inflicting  a blow,  or  even  ex- 
pressing anger.  I continued  with  him  several  years,, 
and  seeing  him,  as  I thought,  grown  too  lax  in  cor- 
recting the  lad  just  named,  I one  day  asked  him  what 
had  so  entirely  changed  his  conduct?  He  looked  me 
in  the  face  with  a melancholy  expression.  Said  he — 
‘do  you  remember  the  cruel  flogging  I gave  you  when 
that  load  of  wood  got  set  in  the  snow  V ‘Too  wpll,’ 
answered  I.  ‘That  broke  my  temper,’  said  he.  ‘I 
never  had  such  feelings  before.  I have  never  been 
the  same  man  since.  I then  solemnly  vowed  never 
to  strike  another  cruel  blow  on  m?.n  or  beast  while  I 
lived.  And  I have  scarcely  felt  a disposition  to  do 
so  since.’  Large  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks,  and 
he  turned  away  in  silence.  ‘Many  a time  have  I 
thought  of  that  matter,’  said  the  nephew,  since  my 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


125 


uncle  has  gone  to  the  grave.  It  convinces  me  your 
doctrine  is  the  truth.”  How  does  it  impress  my 
reader?  Does  it  indicate  that  non-resistance  is  con- 
trary to  or  consonant  with  the  laws  of  nature  ? 

COLORED  WOMAN  AND  THE  SAILOR. 

A worthy  old  colored  woman  in  the  city  of  Xew 
York  was  one  day  walking  along  the  street  on  some 
errand  to  a neighboring  store,  with  her  tobacco  pipe 
in  her  mouth,  quietly  smoking.  A jovial  sailor,  ren- 
dered a little  mischievous  by  liquor,  came  sawing- 
down  the  street,  and,  when  opposite  our  good  Phillis, 
saucily  crowded  her  aside,  and  with  a pass  of  his 
hand  knocked  her  pipe  out  of  her  mouth.  He  then 
halted  to  hear  her  fret  at  his  trick,  and  enjoy  a 
laugh  at  her  expense  But  what  was  his  astonish- 
ment, when  she  meekly  picked  up  the  pieces  of  her 
broken  pipe,  without  the  least  resentment  in  her  man- 
ner, and  giving  him  a dignified  look  of  mingled  sor- 
row, kindness  and  pity,  said,  “God  forgive  you,  my 
son,  as  I do.”  It  touched  a tender  cord  in  tne  heart 
of  the  rude  tar.  He  felt  ashamed,  condemned  and  re- 
pentant. The  tear  started  in  his  eye;  he  must  make 
reparation.  He  heartily  confessed  his  error,  and 
thrusting  both  hands  into  his  two  full  pockets  of 
“change,”  foiced  the  contents  upon  her,  exclaming, 
“God  bless  you,  kind  mother,  I’ 11  never  do  so  again.” 

THE  HAYMAKERS . 

Two  neighbors  were  getting  hay  from  adjoining  lots 
of  marsh  land.  One  had  the  misfortune  to  mire  his 
team  and  load  so  as  to  require  aid  from  the  other. 
He  called  to  him  for  assistance  with  his  oxen  and 
men.  But  his  neighbor  felt  churlish,  and  loading 


126 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


him  with  reproaches  for  his  imprudent  management,, 
told  him  to  help  himself  at  his  leisure.  With  con- 
siderable difficulty  he  extricated  his  load  from  the 
mire  and  pursued  his  business.  A day  or  two  after, 
his  churlish  neighbor  met  with  a similar  mishap. 
Whereupon  the  other,  without  waiting  for  a request, 
volunteered  with  his  oxen  and  rendered  the  necessary 
assistance.  The  churl  felt  ashamed  of  himself. 
His  evil  was  overcome  by  his  neighbor’s  good,  and 
he  never  afterwards  refused  him  a favor. 

THE  TWO  STUDENTS. 

Two  students  of  one  of  our  Universities  had  a slight 
misunderstanding.  One  of  them  was  a warm-blooded 
Southron.  He  conceived  himself  insulted,  and  began 
to  demand  satisfaction,  according  to  Southern  notions 
of  honor.  He  was  met  with  a Christian  firmness  and 
gentleness.  The  other  calmly  told  his  excited  fellow- 
student  he  could  give  only  Christian  satisfaction  in 
any  case;  that  he  was  not  conscious  of  having  intended 
him  either  injury  or  insult,  and  that  if  he  could  be  con- 
vinced he  had  wronged  him  at  all,  he  was  willing  to 
make  ample  reparation.  The  Southron  boiled  over 
with  chivalrous  indignation  for  a few  moments,  dis- 
charged a volley  of  reproachful  epithets,  and  threat- 
ened to  chastise  his  cowardly  insolence.  But  nothing 
could  move  the  other’s  equanimity.  Without  the 
slightest  indication  of  fear  or  servility,  he  met  his  op- 
ponent’s violence  with  true  heroism,  declared  that 
they  had  hitherto  been  friends,  and  he  meant  to  main- 
tain his  friendly  attitude,  however  he  might  be 
treated,  and  conjured  the  threatener  to  consider  how 
unworthy  of  himself  his  present  temper,  language  and 
conduct  were.  His  manner,  look,  words,  tone,  had 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


127 


their  effect.  The  flush  of  anger  turned  to  a blush  of 
shame  and  compunction.  The  subdued  Southron 
stepped  frankly  forward,  reached  forth  his  trembling 
hand,  and  exclaimed — “ I have  spoken  and  acted  like 
a fool;  can  you  forgive  me  1 ” 11  With  all  my  heart,” 

was  the  cordial  response.  Instantly  they  were  locked 
in  each  other’s  embrace;  reconciliation  was  complete; 
and  they  were  evermore  fast  friends.  The  substance 
of  this  anecdote  was  given  by  a worthy  minister  of 
the  Baptist  persuasion,  after  one  of  my  lectures  on 
non-resistance;  and  I think  he  represented  himself  as 
a witness  of  the  scene. 

TWO  NEIGHBORS  AND  THE  MANURE. 

Two  of  my  former  neighbors  had  a slight  contro- 
versy about  a few  loads  of  manure.  One  of  them  was 
the  other’s  tenant.  The  lessor  had  distinctly  stipu- 
lated to  reserve  all  the  manure  of  the  stable,  and  had 
offset  it  with  certain  privileges  and  favors  to  the  les- 
see. But  as  the  lessee  had  purchased  and  consumed 
from  abroad  a considerable  amount  of  hay,  he  claimed 
a portion  of  the  manure.  He  proposed  leaving  the 
case  to  the  arbitration  of  certain  worthy  neighbors. 
The  other  declined  all  reference  to  a third  party,  al- 
leging that  they  both  knew  what  was  right,  and  ought 
to  .settle  their  difficulties  between  themselves.  But 
the  lessee  contrived  to  have  a couple  of  peaceable 
neighbors  at  hand  one  day,  and  in  their  presence  re- 
newed with  earnestness  his  proposal  to  leave  out  the 
case  to  their  decision.  The  other,  grieved  at  his  per- 
tinacity, promptly  replied:  “I  have  nothing  to  leave 
out;  I have  endeavored  to  do  as  I agreed,  and  to  treat 
you  as  I would  be  treated.  God  Almighty  has  planted 
something  in  all  our  breasts  which  tells  us  what  is 


128 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


right  and  wrong;  if  you  think  it  right  to  carry  off  that 
manure,,  do  so  just  when  you  please;  and  I pledge 
myself  never  to  trouble  you  with  even  a question 
about  the  matter  again.  ” This  was  effectual.  The 
tenant  felt  his  error;  all  was  quiet;  the  claim  expired 
at  the  bar  of  conscience;  and  non-resistant  kindness 
and  decision  healed  all  contention.  This  was  related 
to  me  by  one  of  the  friends  selected  as  a judge  and  de- 
cider in  the  case.  His  peculiar  comment  was  “That 
was  one  of  the  greatest  sermons  I ever  heard.  ’ ’ 

IMPOUNDING  THE  HORSE. 

“ A man  approached  his  neighbor  in  great  anger 
one  afternoon,  saying— ‘Sirrah  ! I found  your  horse 
loose  in  the  road  this  morning,  and  put  him  in  the 
pound,  where  he  now  is.  If  you  want  him,  go  and 
pay  the  tees  and  take  him  out.  And  I give  you  no- 
tice now,  that  just  as  often  as  I find  him  loose  in  the 
highway,  I will  impound  him  at  your  cost.’  ‘And  I,’ 
said  the  neighbor,  ‘looking  out  of  my  window,  this 
morning,  saw  your  cows  in  my  corn  field.  I drove 
them  all  out,  and  turned  them  into  your  pasture.  I 
now  give  you  notice  that  as  often  as  t find  them  in 
my  cornfield,  I will  do  just  so  again.’  The  first  was 
humbled,  reconciled,  sent  to  the  pound,  paid  the  fees, 
and  restored  his  neighbor’s  horse  to  him  with  an  hon- 
orable apology  for  his  ill  temper.  ” — Anonymous. 

TWO  NEIGHBORS  AND  THE  HENS. 

A man  in  Aew  Jersey  told  Henry  C.  Wright  the 
following  story  respecting  himself  and  one  of  his 
neighbors:  “I  once  owned  a large  flock  of  hens;  I gen- 
erally kept  them  shut  up.  But,  one  spring,  I con- 
cluded to  let  them  run  in  my  yard,  after  I had  clipped 

8 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


129 


their  wings,  so  they  coulcl  not  fly.  One  day,  when  I 
came  home  to  dinner,  I learned  that  one  of  my  neigh- 
bors had  been  there,  full  of  wrath,  to  let  me  know  my 
hens  had  been  in  his  garden,  and  that  he  had  killed 
several  of  them,  and  thrown  them  over  into  my  yard. 
I was  greatly  enraged  because  he  had  killed  my  beau- 
tiful hens  that  I valued  so  much.  I determined  at 
once  to  be  revenged,  to  sue  him,  or  in  some  way  get 
redress.  I sat  down  and  ate  my  dinner  as  calmly  as 
I could.  By  the  time  I had  finished  my  meal,  1 be- 
came more  cool,  and  thought  that  perhaps  it  was  not 
best  to  fight  with  my  neighbor  about  hens,  and  there- 
by make  him  my  bitter,  lasting  enemy.  I concluded 
to  try  another  why,  being  sure  that  it  would  be  bet- 
ter. 

After  dinner  I went  to  my  neighbor’s.  He  was  in 
his  garden.  I went  out  and  found  him  in  pursuit  of 
one  of  my  hens  wdth  a club,  trying  to  kill  it.  I ac- 
costed him.  He  turned  upon  me,  his  face  inflamed 
.with  wrath,  and  broke  out  iu  a great  fury — ‘You  have 
abused  me.  I will  kill  all  your  hens,  if  I can  get  at 
them.  I never  was  so  abused.  My  garden  is  ruined.  ’ 
‘I  am  very  sorry  for  it,’  said  I.  ‘I  did  not  wish  to  in- 
jure you,  and  now  see  that  I have  made  a great  mis- 
take in  letting  out  my  hens.  I ask  your  forgiveness, 
and  am  willing  to  pay  you  six  times  the  damage.’ 

The  man  seemed  confounded.  He  did  not  know 
what  to  make  of  it.  He  looked  up  at  the  sky— then 
down  at  the  earth — and  then  at  the  poor  hen  he  had 
been  pursuing,  and  said  nothing.  Tell  me  now,  said 
I,  ‘what  is  the  damage,  and  I will  pay  you  six-fold; 
and  my  hens  shall  trouble  you  no  more.  I will  leave 
it  entirely  to  you  to  say  what  I shall  do.  I cannot  af- 
ford to  lose  the  love  and  good  will  of  my  neighbors, 


130 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


and  quarrel  with  them,  for  hens  or  anything  else. 

‘I  am  a great  fool!’  said  the  neighbor.  ‘The  dam- 
age is  not  worth  talking  about;  and  I have  more  need 
to  compensate  you  thau  you  me,  and  to  ask  your  for- 
giveness than  you  mine.’  ” — Wright’s  Kiss  for  a Blow. 

HENRY  AND  ALBERT. 

“I  write  chiefly  to  give  you  an  account  of  the  pow- 
er of  love  that  took  place  in  the  family  of  an  old  friend 
of  mine,  who  is  now  no  more.  Besides  other  child- 
ren he  left  two  sons,  Henry,  aged  about  twenty,  and 
Albert  about  sixteen.  The  latter  possessed  what  is 
culled  a bad,  ungovernable  temper,  that  gave  his 
mother  much  trouble;  and  she  (probably  in  a pet) 
told  Henry  he  must  whip  him.  He  did;  but  Albert 
resisted,  and  he  received  a severe  thrashing.  But  it 
did  not  tame  him  at  all,  and  he  vowed  that  he  never 
would  speak  to  Henry  again  until  he  was  old  enough 
to  have  revenge.  While  he  stayed  at  home  (some 
months,  I believe,)  he  never  spoke  to  Henry.  Af- 
ter this  he  went  to  sea,  and  was  absent  four  or  five 
years.  But  Albert  was  a boy  of  many  good  qualities. 
He  laid  up  money;  and  while  the  vessel  was  loading 
and  unloading  at  the  ports  of  the  distant  countries  he 
visited,  he  made  short  excursions  into  the  interior,, 
and  made  use  of  his  eyes  and  ears  to  improve  his 
mind  and  gain  what  information  he  could,  aud  came 
back  an  amazingly  stout,  athletic  young  man,  and 
apparently  greatly  improved.  He  was  frank  and  so- 
cial with  the  rest  of  the  family,  but  not  a word  did 
he  say  to  Henry.  The  latter  by  this  time  had  become 
a Methodist  preacher,  and  Albert’s  conduct  towards 
him  grieved  him  to  the  heart.  After  a time  Henry 
went  to  Albert,  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  said  to 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


131 


him:  ‘Albert,  I cannot  possibly  live  in  this  way  any 
longer.  Your  silence  I cannot  bear  another  hour. 
You  remember  you  said,  when  yon  had  whipped  me 
you  would  speak  to  me  again;  I am  now  ready  to  re- 
ceive your  punishmeut.  Let  us  go  to  the  barn;  I will 
pull  off  my  coat — I promise  you  that  I will  make  no 
resistance,  and  you  may  whip  me  as  long  as  you 
please;  and  we  will  then  be  friends.  I never  should 
have  struck  you,  if  mother  had  not  requested  it.  I 
am  sorry  that  I did.  ’ Albert's  stout  heart  could  bear 
blows  in  almost  any  quantity  without  shrinking,  but 
Henry’s  love  he  could  not  withstand.  It  melted  his 
proud  sxiirit  instantly,  and  in  a moment  he  was 
bathed  in  tears.  They  embraced  each  other  directly. 
For  a time  their  love  was  too  great  for  utterance,  but 
soon  Albert  expressed  his  regret  for  what  he  had  said; 
and  they  are  now,  for  aught  that  I know,  two  as  lov- 
ing brothers  as  any  in  the  county.  And  to  God,  the 
God  of  peace  be  all  the  glory  — Letter  from  Alf  red 
Wells  in  the  Practical  Christian. 

THE  SUBDUED  HATTER 

Some  nineteen  or  twenty  years  ago,  when  I was  iu 
the  hatting  business,  I employed  a man  by  the  name 
of  Jonas  Pike,  from  Massachusetts,  who  was  a most 
excellent  workman  in  the  manufacture  of  hats.  But 
he  was  one  of  that  kind  of  journeymen  who  would 
have  their  trains,  as  they  were  familiarly  called 
amongst  us  in  that  day.  Therefore  as  a natural  con- 
sequence he  was  without  comfortable  clothing  the 
most  of  the  time.  After  he  got  a shop  he  would  work 
very  industriously  until  he  had  earned  from  twenty 
to  thirty  and  sometimes  forty  dollars  worth  of  cloth- 
ing ; (for  he  was  always  in  want  of  clothing  when  he 


132 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


commenced  work;)  and  then  lie  would  get  on  one  of 
his  trains,  and  dispose  of  every  article  of  his  clothing 
that  would  fetch  six  cents, expending  all  for  whiskey. 
When  all  was  gone,  and  he  began  to  cool  off  a little, 
he  would  be  very  ugly;  sometimes  he  would  fret  and 
scold,  and  then  he  would  coax  and  plead,  to  have  me 
trust  him  for  a hat  or  something  else, that  he  might  sell, 
and  thereby  get  more  whiskey.  When  I refused  him, 
he  would  become  very  angry  and  threaten  to  whip 
me,  which  I told  him  he  might  do  as  soon  as  he 
pleased.  But  said  he:  ‘ I will  not  do  it  in  your  own 
shop;  if  I had  you  out  of  doors  I would  thrash  you 
like  a sack.’  After  hearing  him  repeat  these  sayings 
several  times,  I walked  out  at  the  door.  I then  spoke 
to  him,  saying,  ‘I  am  now  out  of  the  shop,  thou  canst 
whip  me  if  thou  wishest  to  do  so  very  much,’  at  which 
he  stepped  out  of  the  shop,  came  furiously  towards 
me,  squaring  himself  for  a box,  and  struck  me  a blow 
on  the  breast,  at  which  I put  my  hand  upon  my 
cheek,  and  held  it  down  to  him,  saying,  blow  strike 
here,  Jonas.’  He  looked  at  me  with  surprise  and 
astonishment,  then  turning  round  saying  at  the  same 
time,  hi — n you,  if  you  will  not  fight,  I will  let  you 
alone.’  He  went  into  the  shop,  sat  down  and  was 
quiet.  He  got  sober  and  went  to  work,  and  ever 
after  was  affectionate  and  kind,  and  very  peaceable 
with  me.  I employed  him  several  times  afterwards  to 
work  for  me,  and  he  was  always  very  peaceable  and 
obliging. — Letter  from  Erastus  Huncliett  in  the  Practi- 
cal Christian. 

THE  REVOLUTIONARY  SOLDIER. 

“A  beloved  brother,  now  dead,  related  to  me  a 
circumstance  of  his  life,  which  I think  is  worth  pre- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE.  133 

serving.  He  was  a soldier  in  the  revolutionary  war. 
After  he  came  here,  he  became  religious,  and  was  con- 
vinced that  all  ‘wars  and  fightings’  are  contrary  to 
the  Gospel  of  Christ.  His  zeal  in  advocating  his 
principles,  stirred  up  the  enmity  of  a wicked  man  in 
the  neighbourhood,  who  threatened,  when  his  son 
came  home  from  the  army,  he  would  flog  him. 

“Sure  enough,  when  the  son  came  home,  the  old 
man  told  such  stories  to  him  about  this  brother,  that 
it  excited  him  to  that  degree,  that  he  came  to  the 
house  where  my  brother  lived,  in  a rage,  determined 
to  fight.  My  brother  expostulated  with  him,  and  en- 
deavoured, by  all  the  means  in  his  power,  to  allay  his 
auger,  and  deter  him  from  his  purpose;  but  all  would 
not  do  ; fight  he  must,  and  fight  he  would. 

“ ‘Well,’  says  the  brother,  ‘if  we  must  fight,  don’t 
let  us  be  like  cats  and  dogs,  fighting  in  the  house;  so 
go  out  into  the  field.’ 

“To  this  he  assented.  When  they  had  got  into  the 
field,  and  the  young  bully  had  stripped  himself  for 
the  fight  my  brother  looked  him  in  the  face, and  said, 
‘Yow  you  are  a great  coward.’  ‘Coward!  don’t  call 
me  a coward.’  ‘Well,  you  are  one  of  the  greatest 
cowards  I ever  saw.’  ‘What  do  you  mean?’  ‘I  mean 
as  I say  ; you  must  be  a very  great  coward  to  go  fight- 
ing a man  who  will  not  fight  you.’  ‘What,  don’t 
you  mean  to  fight  me  ”?’  ‘UMot  I ; you  may  fight  me 
as  much  as  you  please,  I shall  not  lift  up  a fingeir 
against  you.’  ‘Is  that  your  principle?’  ‘Yes,  it  is; 
and  I mean  to  be  true  to  it.’  The  spirit  of  the  young 
soldier  fell;  and,  stretching  out  his  arm  he  said,  ‘Then 
I would  sooner  cut  off  that  arm  than  I would  strike 
you.’  They  then  entered  into  an  explanation,  and 
parted  good  friends.’’ — Non-Resistant. 


134 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANOE. 


EX-PRESIDENT  JEFFERSON  AND  THE  COOPER’S  SHOP. 

“ The  following  was  related,  many  years  since,  by 
one  of  the  parties,  who  was  a very  respectable  citizen 
of  Montgomery  county,  Pa.,  since  deceased: 

During  the  presidential  term  of  Thomas  Jefferson, 
two  young  men  from  Pennsylvania  took  a lease  from 
him  of  his  merchant  mill  at  Monticello,  one  of  the 
stipulations  of  which  was  that  the  landlord  should 
erect  for  their  use,  within  a given  period,  a cooper’s 
shop.  The  time  for  a meeting  of  Congress  soon  ar- 
riving, the  President  had  to  repair  to  Washington  to 
attend  to  his  official  duties,  where  he  remained  a long 
time  absorbed  in  national  concerns,  and  the  building 
of  the  cooper’s  shop  was  entirely  forgotten  by  him. 
Not  so  with  his  tenants,  whose  daily  wants  constantly 
reminded  them  of  the  provisions  contained  in  the 
lease;,  and  finally  they  determined  to  erect  it  them- 
selves, and  charge  the  cost  of  it  to  their  landlord.  On 
the  return  of  the  President  to  his  mansion,  the  parties 
met  to  settle  a long  account  current,  which  had  been 
running  during  his  absence.  The  items  were  gone 
over  and  scrutinized  one  by  one,  and  all  were  found 
satisfactory  but  the  charge  for  building  the  cooper’s 
shop,  to  which  he  objected,  alleging  that  lie  could 
have  erected  it  with  his  own  workmen.  Several  at- 
tempts were  made  to  effect  a settlement,  but  they  al- 
ways failed  when  they  came  to  the  cooper’s  shop.  The 
young  men  became  warm  and  zealous  in  the  affair; 
and  the.  parties,  instead  of  getting  nearer  together, 
found  themselves  at  every  interview  wider  apart. 

In  this  state  of  affairs,  the  father  of  the  young  men, 
who  was[a  mild, affable, conciliating  gentleman, possess- 
ing some  knowledge  of  the  world  and  its  ways,  arrived 
on  a visit  to  his  sons,  who  informed  him  of  their  difh- 


'CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


135 


eulty  with  their  landlord.  He  requested  them  to  leave 
it  to  him,  observing  that  he  thought  he  could  effect 
an  amicable  settlement  in  the  case.  This  course  was 
accordingly  acceded  to,  and  in  due  time  he  waited  on 
the  President  with  the  account.  It  was  scanned  and 
:agreed  to,  except  the  charge  for  building  the  shop, 
which,  he  said,  with  some  firmness,  he  should  not  al- 
low for  reasons  stated.  His  opponent,  observing  his 
apparent  decision  on  the  subject,  very  gravely  re- 
marked: ‘ Well,  friend  Jefferson,  it  has  always  been 
my  practice  through  life,  to  yield  rather  than  to  con- 
tend. ’ Immediately  on  this  remark  being  made,  the 
president’s  chin  fell  on  his  breast  for  an  instant,  when 
raising  his  head  in  an  erect  position,  he  observed  in  a 
very  emphatic  manner,  ‘ a very  good  principle,  Mr. 
-Shoemaker,  and  I can  carry  it  as  far  as  you  can:  let 
the  account  for  the  cooper’s  shop  be  allowed.  ’ Thus 
ended  the  difficulty,  and  the  parties  continued  their 
friendly  regard  for  each  other  till  death  separated 
them.  And  the  cultivation  of  a similar  disposition, 

1 to  follow  peace  with  all  men,  ’ would  terminate 
thousands  of  difficulties,  add  much  to  the  happiness 
of  individuals,  and  tend  to  promote  the  general  har- 
mony and  order  of  society.  ’ ’ — Farmer's  Cabinet. 

WILLIAM  LADD  AND  NEIGHBOR  PULS  I LEE. 

The  late  William  Ladd,  denominated  the  apostle  of  the 
peace  cause,  used  to  relate  the  following  anecdote:  “ I 
had  a fine  field  of  grain  growing  upon  an  out-farm, some 
distance  from  the  homestead.  Whenever  I rode  by  I 
saw  my  neighbor  Pulsifer’s  sheep  in  the  lot  destroying 
my  hopes  of  a harvest.  These  sheep  were  of  the  gaunt, 
long  legged  kind,  active  as  spaniels — they  could 
spring  over  the  highest  fence,  and  no  wall  could  keep 


136 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


them  out.  I complained  to  neighbor  Pnlsifer,  and 
sent  him  frequent  messages,  but  all  without  avail. 
Perhaps  they  would  be  kept  out  for  a day  or  two,  but 
the  legs  of  his  sheep  were  loug  and  my  grain  rather 
more  tempting  than  the  adjoining  pasture.  I rode  by 
again — the  sheep  were  all  there — I became  angry,  and 
told  my  men  to  set  the  dogs  on  them,  and  if  that 
would  not  do,  I would  pay  them  if  they  would  shoot 
them. 

“I  rode  away  much  agitated,  for  I was  then  not  so 
much  of  a peace  man  as  I am  now,  and  I felt  literally 
full  of  fight.  All  at  once  a light  flashed  in  upon  me. 
I asked  myself,  would  it  not  be  well  for  you  to  try  in 
your  own  conduct  the  peace  principle  you  are  preach- 
ing to  others  1 I thought  it  all  over,  and  settled  down 
my  mind  as  to  the  best  course  to  be  pursued. 

“ The  next  day  I rode  over  to  see  neighbor  Pulsifer. 
I found  him  chopping  wood  at  his  door.  ‘Good  morning 
neighbor.’  No  answer.  ‘Good  morning, ’ I repeated. 
He  gave  a kind  of  grunt  like  a hog,  without  looking- 
up.  ‘I  came,’  continued  I,  ‘to  see  you  about  the  sheep.’ 
At  this  he  threw  down  his  axe,  and  exclaimed  in  a 
most  angry  manner:  ‘Now  avn’t  you  a pretty  neigh- 
bor to  tell  your  men  to  kill  my  sheep  ! I heard  of  it 
— a rich  man  like  you  to  shoot  a poor  man’s  sheep  ! ’ 

‘ I was  wrong,’  neighbor  said  I,  ‘but  it  won’t  do  to 
let  your  sheep  eat  up  all  that  grain;  so  I came  over  to 
say  that  I would  take  your  sheep  to  my  homestead 
pasture,  and  put  them  with  mine:  and  in  the  fall  you 
may  take  them  back;  and  if  any  one  of  them  is  miss- 
ing yon  may  take  your  pick  out  of  my  whole  flock.’ 
Pulsifer  looked  confounded;  he  did  not  know  how  to 
take  me.  At  last  he  stammered  out,  ‘Now  Squire, 
are  you  in  earnest  ?”  ‘Certainly  I am,’  I answered : ‘it 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


137 


is  better  for  me  to  feed  your  sheep  in  my  pasture  on 
grass,  than  to  feed  them  here  on  grain;  and  I see  the 
feuee  cannot  keep  them  out.’ 

“After  a moment’s  silence — ‘The  sheep  shan’t 
trouble  you  any  more,’  exclaimed  Pulsifer,  T xvill 
fetter  them  all.  But  I’ll  let  you  know,  when  any 
man  talks  of  shooting,  I cau  shoot  too;  and  when  they 
are  kind  and  neighborly,  I can  be  kind  too.’  The 
sheep  never  again  trespassed  on  my  lot.  ‘And,  my 
friends,’  (continued  Father  Ladd,  addressing  his  au- 
dience,) ‘remember  that  when  you  talk  of  injuring 
your  neighbors,  they  talk  of  injuring  you.  When 
nations  threaten  to  fight,  ether  nations  will  be  ready, 
too.  Love  will  beget  love — a wish  to  be  at  peace 
will  keep  you  at  peace.  You  cau  overcome  evil 
only  with  good,  there  is  no  other  way.’  ” — Democratic 
Revieiv. 


CONCLUSION. 

The  foregoing  illustrations  are  from  the  common 
affairs  of  life,  aud  though  not  involving  cases  of  ex- 
treme personal  danger  and  escape,  are  nevertheless 
pertinent  and  important.  They  show  the  adaptation 
of  Christian  non-resistance  to  human  nature  iu  the 
ten  thousand  occurrences  of  personal  difficulty.  They 
demonstrate  that  it  is  not  contrary  to  nature,  but  is 
peculiarly  suited  to  allay  and  purify  the  rising  pas- 
sions of  men,  that  the  worst  of  people  are  favorably 
affected  by  its  interposition;  that  the  decent  sort 
might  be  preserved  by  it  from  numberless  contentions; 
and  that  instead  of  counteracting  the  law  of  self-pre- 
servation, it  is  the  highest  and  surest  method  of  se- 
curing the  great  ends  of  that  law.  This  will  be  more 
fully  demonstrated  by  a continuation  of  illustrations. 


138 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


involving  cases  of  greater  peril  and  deliverance, in  the 
next  chapter.  In  the  mean  time  I can  hardly  refrain 
from  pressing  upon-  the  reader’s  understanding  and 
conscience,  the  question,  Is  not  the  doctrine  contend- 
ed for,  most  Christian,  most  rational,  most  excellent, 
most  admirably  adapted  to  promote  peace  on  earth 
and  good  will  among  mankind?  Is  it  not  just  what 
poor  groaning  nature  needs,  to  soothe,  restore  it  to 
health,  and  carry  it  forward  to  its  glorious  destiny? 
It  will  appear  more  and  more  sound  and  lovely  the 
more  it  is  investigated. 

“O,  when  will  man  unshackled  rise, 

From  dross  of  earth  refined — 

Read  mercy  in  his  neighbor’s  eyes. 

And  be  forever  kind?” 


-CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


139 


CHAPTER  Y. 

The  Safety  Of  Non-Resistance. 

Raymond  the  traveller — Agent  of  the  Bible  Society  in  Tex- 
as—The  young  man  near  Philadelphia — Robert  Barclay 
and  Leonard  Fell — Archbishop  Sharpe— Rowland  Hill — 
Two  Methodist  Non-Resistants— The  two  New  Zealand 
•chiefs — The  Missionary  and  Arabs— A.  Christian  tribe  in 
Africa— The  Moravian  Indians — The  Moravians  of  Grace 
Hill — The  Shakers — The  Indians  and  the  Quaker  family 
— The  Indians  and  the  Quaker  Meeting — The  Christian 
town  in  the  Tyrol— Captain  Back,  the  Quakers,  and  the 
Maylays— Jonathan  Dymond— Colony  of  Pennsylvania. 

I have  been  endeavoring  to  demonstrate  in  the 
preceding  chapter  that  non-resistance,  instead  of  be- 
ing contrary  to  nature,  is  in  perfect  accordance  with 
all  her  fundamental  laws.  I intend  in  the  present 
chapter  to  complete  that  demonstration  by  a further 
illustration  of  the  superior  general  safety  of  non-resist- 
ance. This  will  be  done  by  anecdotes  and  historical 
facts,  showing  its  actual  workings  in  many  cases  of 
imminent  danger.  I do  not  undertake  to  prove  that 
the  practice  of  non-resistance  will  always  preserve  the 
life  and  personal  security  of  its  adherents,  but  only 
that  it  generally  will.  Jesus,  the  apostles,  and  thou- 
sands of  Christian  martyrs  were  slain  notwithstand- 
ing their  non-resistance.  Doubtless  others  will  be 
wronged,  outraged,  and  murdered  in  time  to  come, 
notwithstanding  the  same  safeguard.  Exceptions  do 
not  disprove  a general  rule.  As  the  advocates  of 
deadly  resistance  do  not  contend  that  it  always  en- 


140 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


sures  the  preservation  of  life  and  personal  security, so 
neither  do  1 contend  that  Christian  non-resistance 
wiil  do  it.  They  contend  that  discretionary  resist- 
ance is  safer  than  non-resistance;  that  its  general 
tendency,  despite  of  incidental  failures,  is  to  pre 
serve  life  and  render  personal  safety  secure.  I 
coy  tend  for  the  exact  reverse.  Here  is  an  important 
issue.  The  deadly  resistants  affirm  the  superior  safe- 
ty of  their  principle  of  action  ; the  non-resistants  of 
theirs.  The  parties  are  in  direct  contradiction. 
Which  of  them  is  right?  The  resistants  have  lost,  ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Dick,  14,000,000,000,  and  according 
to  Mr.  Burke,  35,000,000,000  of  human  lives,  since 
their  experiment  commenced.  Can  non-resistants 
make  a greater  loss  than  this?  Can  their  principle 
of  action  result  in  a greater  expenditure  of  life  and 
happiness?  No.  Under  the  most  unfavoiable  cir- 
cumstances they  will  not  lose  in  the  proportion  of  one 
to  a thousand,  aiyl  a few  centuries  of  perseverance  in 
their  principle  would  totally  extinguish  the  fires  of 
human  violence  throughout  the  earth.  Let  us  pro- 
ceed to  show  that  the  practice  of  non-resistance  is  pre- 
eminently safe. 

RAYMOND  THE  TRAVELLER. 

Baymond,  a celebrated  European  traveller,  bears 
the  following  testimony: 

Speaking  of  the  Spanish  smugglers,  he  says:  “These 
smugglers  are  as  adroit  as  they  are  determined,  are 
familiarized  at  all  times,  with  peril,  and  march  in  the 
very  face  of  death.  Their  first  movement  is  a never- 
failing  shot,  and  certainly  would  be  an  object  of 
dread  to  most  passengers;  for  where  are  they  to  be 
dreaded  more,  than  in  deserts,  where  crime  has  noth- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


141 


ing  to  witness  it,  and  the  feeble  no  assistance  ? As 
for  myself,  alone  and  unarmed,  I have  met  them  with- 
out anxiety,  and  have  accompanied  them  without  fear. 
We  have  little  to  apprehend  from  men  whom  we  in- 
spire with  no  distrust  or  envy,  and  everything  to  ex- 
pect in  those  from  whom  we  claim  only  what  is  due 
from  man  to  man.  The  laws  of  nature  still  exist  for 
those  who  have  long  shaken  off  the  laws  of  civil  gov- 
ernment. At  war  with  society,  they  are  sometimes 
at  peace  with  their  fellows.  The  assassin  has  been 
my  guide  in  the  defiles  of  the  boundaries  of  Italy;  the 
smuggler  of  the  Pyrenees  has  received  me  with  a wel- 
come in  his  secret  paths.  Armed,  I should  have  been 
the  enemy  of  both  ; unarmed,  they  have  alike  re- 
spected me.  In  such  expectation,  I have  long  since 
laid  aside  all  menacing  apparatus  whatever.  Arms 
may,  iudeed,  be  employed  against  the  wild  beast,  but 
no  one  should  forget  that  they  are  no  defence  against 
the  traitor  ; that  they  irritate  the  wicked,  and  intimi- 
date the  simple  ; lastly,  that  the  man  of  peace;  among 
mankind,  has  a much  more  sacred  defence — his  char- 
acter”. 

AGENT  OF  THE  BIBLE  SOCIETY  IN  TEXAS. 

“In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1833,  or  about  that 
time,  an  agent  of  the  Bible  Society  was  travelling  in 
Texas.  His  course  lay  through  a piece  of  woods, 
where  two  men  waylaid  him  with  murderous  inten- 
tions, one  being  armed  with  a gun,  the  other  with  a 
large  club.  As  he  approached  the  i>lace  of  their  con- 
cealment, they  rushed  towards  him;  but  finding  that 
no  resistance  was  offered,  they  neither  struck  nor 
fired.  He  began  to  reason  with  them;  and,  presently, 
they  seemed  less  eager  to  destroy  him  in  haste.  After 


142 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


a short  time,  he  prevailed  on  them  to  sit  down  with? 
him  upon  a log,  and  talk  the  matter  over  deliber- 
ately; and  finally,  he  persuaded  them  to  kneel  with 
him  in  prayer,  after  which  they  parted  with  him  in  a 
friendly  manner.  ” — Calumet. 

THE  YOUNG  MAN  NEAR  PHILADELPHIA. 

“ A few  years  since,  a young  man  in  the  vicinity 
of  Philadelphia,  was  one  evening  stopped  in  a grove, 
with  the  demand,  1 Your  money,  or  your  life.  ’ The 
robber  then  presented  a pistol  to  his  breast.  The 
young  man,  having  a large  sum  of  money,  proceeded 
leisurely  and  calmly  to  hand  it  over  to  his  enemy,  at 
the  same  time  setting  before  him  the  wickedness  and 
peril  of  his  career.  The  rebukes  of  the  young  man 
cut  the  robber  to  the  heart.  He  became  enraged,, 
cocked  his  pistol,  held  it  to  the  young  man’s  head,, 
and  with  an  oath,  said,  ‘ Stop  that  preaching,  or  I will 
blow  out  your  brains.  ’ The  young  man  calmly  re- 
plied,— u Friend,  to  save  my  money,  I would  not  risk 
my  life;  but  to  save  you  from  your  evil  course,  I 
am  willing  to  die.  I shall  not  cease  to  plead  with 
you.”  He  then  poured  in  the  truth  still  more  earn- 
estly and  kindly.  Soon  the  pistol  fell  to  the  ground;, 
the  tears  began  to  flow;  and  the  robber  was  overcome. 
He  handed  the  money  all  back  with  the  remark,  11 1 
cannot  rob  a man  of  such  principles.  ” 

ROBERT  BARCLAY  AND  LEONARD  FELL. 

Robert  Barclay,  the  celebrated  apologist  of  the 
Quakers,  and  Leonard  Fell,  a member  of  the  same  So 
ciety,  were  severally  attacked  by  highwaymen  in  Eng- 
land, at  different  times.  Both  faithfully  adhered  to 
their  non-resistance  principles,  and  both  signally  tri- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


143 


umpiiecl.  The  pistol  was  levelled  at  Barclay,  and  a 
determined  demand  made  for  liis  purse.  Calm  and 
self-possessed,  he  looked  the  robber  in  the  face,  with 
a firm  but  meek  benignity,  assured  him  he  was 
his  and  every  man’s  friend,  that  he  was  willing  and 
ready  to  relieve  his  wants,  that  he  was  free  from  the 
fear  of  death  through  a divine  hope  in  immortality, 
and  therefore  was  not  to  be  intimidated  by  a deadly 
weapon,  and  then  appealed  to  him,  whether  he  could 
have  heart  to  shed  the  blood  of  one  who  had  no  other 
feeling  or  purpose  but  to  do  him  good.  The  robber 
was  confounded;  his  eyes  melted;  his  brawny  arm 
trembled;  his  pistol  fell  to  his  side;  and  he  fled  from 
the  presence  of  the  non  resistant  hero  whom  he  could 
no  longer  confront. 

Fell  was  assaulted  iu  a much  more  violent  manner. 
The  robber  rushed  upon  him,  dragged  him  from  his. 
horse,  rifled  his  pockets,  and  threatened  to  blow  out 
his  brains  on  the  spot,  if  he  made  the  least  resistance. 
This  was  the  work  of  a moment.  But  Fell  experi- 
enced no  panic.  His  principles  raised  him  above  the 
fear  of  man  and  of  death.  Though  forbidden  to  speak, 
he  calmly  but  resolutely  reproved  the  robber  for  his 
wickedness,  warned  him  of  the  consequences  of  such  a 
course  of  life,  counselled  him  to  reform,  and  assured 
him  that  while  he  forgave  this  wanton  outrage  on 
himself,  he  hoped  for  his  own  sake  he  would  hence- 
forth betake  himself  to  an  upright  calling.  His  ex- 
postulation was  so  fearless,  faithful  and  affectionate, 
that  the  robber  was  struck  with  compunction,  de- 
livered back  his  money  and  horse,  and  bade  him  go 
in  peace.  Then,  with  tears  filling  his  eyes,  he  ex- 
claimed,— ‘ ‘ May  God  have  mercy  on  a sinful  wretch,  ’ ’ 
and  hastened  out  of  sight. 


144 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


ARCHBISHOP  SHARPE. 

“ Archbishop  Sharpe  was  assaulted  by  a footpad  ou 
the  highway,  who  presented  a pistol  and  demanded 
his  money.  The  Archbishop  spoke  to  the  robber  in 
the  language  of  a fellow  man  and  of  a Christian.  The 
man  was  really  in  distress,  and  the  prelate  gave  him 
such  money  as  he  had,  and  promised  that,  if  he  would 
call  at  the  palace  he  would  make  up  the  amount  to 
fifty  pounds.  This  was  the  sum  of  which  the  robber 
had  said  he  was  in  the  utmost  need.  The  man  called 
and  received  the  mosey.  About  a year  aud  a half  af- 
terwards, this  man  came  again  to  the  palace,  ancj 
brought  back  the  same  sum.  He  said  that  his  cir- 
cumstances had  become  improved,  and  that,  through 
the  ‘‘astonishing  goodness”  of  the  Archbishop,  he 
had  become  “the  most  penitent,  the  most  grateful, 
aud  happiest  of  his  species.  ” Let  the  reader  con- 
sider how  different  the  Archbishop’s  feelings  were 
from  what  they  would  have  been  if  by  his  hand  this 
man  had  been  cut  off.  ’ ’ — Dymond. 

ROWLAND  HILL. 

I have  seen  an  impressive  anecdote  of  this  distin- 
guished London  preacher,  which  I have  failed  to  find 
among  my  papers,  notwithstanding  considerable 
search.  I have  but  an  imperfect  recollection  of  the 
details,  but  the  substance  was  as  follows:  Mr.  Hill 
was  returning  from  an  excursion  out  of  the  city.  A 
man  suddenly  beset  him  from  the  wayside,  pistol  in 
hand,  and  demanded  his  purse.  Mr.  Hill  calmly 
scrutinized  his  countenance  with  a look  of  compas- 
sion, and,  while  taking  out  his  money,  remarked  to  the 
robber  that  he  did  not  look  like  a man  of  that  bloody 
calling,  and  he  was  afraid  some  extreme  distress  had 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


145 


driven  liim  to  the  crime.  At  the  same  time  he  inquired 
how  much  he  stood  in  need  of.  The  man  was  af- 
fected, declared  this  was  his  first  offence,  and  pleaded 
the  distress  of  his  family  as  his  only  excuse.  Mr.  Hill 
kindly  assured  him  of  his  sympathy,  and  of  his  will- 
ingness to  relieve  him.  He  gave  him  a certain  sum 
on  the  spot,  and  promised  him  further  aid,  if  he 
would  call  at  his  house.  The  robber  was  melted  into 
tears,  humbly  thanked  his  benefactor,  and  hastened 
towards  the  city.  Mr.  Hill,  desirous  of  knowing  the 
whole  truth  of  the  matter,  directed  his  servant  to  fol- 
low the  man  home.  This  was  accordingly  done,  and 
it  was  ascertained  that  the  poor  man  occupied  a mis- 
erable tenement  in  an  obscure  street,  where  his  wife 
and  children  were  on  the  verge  of  starvation.  He  was 
seen  to  hasten  first  to  a bakery,  and  then  home  with 
a few  loaves  of  bread.  His  wife  received  the  bread 
with  joy,  but  with  astonishment,  expressing  her  hope 
that  her  dear  husband  had  obtained  it  by  none  but  in- 
nocent means.  The  children  cried  for  joy  as  they  be- 
gan to  satiate  their  hunger,  and  the  father  alone 
looked  sad. 

Mr.  Hill  benevolently  took  this  man  under  his  im- 
mediate care,  provided  a tenement  for  his  family,  and 
made  him  his  coachman.  He  proved  to  be  a remark- 
ably honest  and  industrious  man:  and  in  a little  time 
became  a convert  to  experimental  religion,  and  con- 
nected himself  with  Mr.  Hill’s  church.  For  fifteen 
years  he  walked  with  such  Christian  circumspection 
as  to  command  the  entire  confidence  of  all  who  knew 
him.  At  length  he  died  in  the  triumphs  of  hope. 
His  pastor  preached  an  effecting  funeral  sermon  on 
the  occasion,  in  which  for  the  first  time  he  commun- 
icated the  affair  of  the  robbery,  and  took  occasion  to 


146 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


impress  on  his  auditors  the  excellency  of  Christian 
forbearance,  kindness  and  compassion  towards  the 
guilty.  Here  was  a man  withdrawn  from  an  awful 
course  of  crime,  and  by  divine  grace  rendered  a child 
of  God — an  exemplary  and  beloved  brother  in  Christ. 
How  different  might  have  been  the  result,  had  Row- 
land Hill  either  resisted  him  with  deadly  weapons,  or 
taken  the  same  pains  to  hand  him  over  to  the  govern- 
ment,that  he  did  to  befriend  him  ? O how  lovely  is 
true  righteousness  ! How  comely  is  Christian  non- 
resistance  ! How  safe  ! 

THE  METHODIST  NON-RESISTANTS. 

“The  Rev.  John  Pomphret,an  English  Methodist  min- 
ister, always  advocated  the  practical  applicability  of 
the  ‘peace  doctrine,’ — ‘If  a man  will  sue  thee  at  the  law 
and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also, 
and  if  he  compel  thee  to  go  with  him  a mile,  go  with 
him  twain,  ’ — always  declaring  that  if  he  should  be 
attacked  by  a highwayman,  he  should  put  it  in  prac- 
tice. Being  a cheese-monger,  (he  preached  to  do 
good,  not  for  wages,)  ou  his  return  from  market  one 
day,  after  he  had  received  a large  amount  of  money 
from  his  customers  for  the  purpose  of  replenishing 
his  year’s  stock,  he  was  accosted  by  a robber, demand- 
ing his  money,  and  threatening  his  life  if  he  refused. 
The  reverend  peace-man  coolly  and  kindly  replied, 
‘ Well,  friend,  how  much  do  you  want,  for  I will  give 
it  to  you,  and  thus  save  you  from  the  crime  of  com- 
mitting highway  robbery  ? ’ ‘ Will  you  eertainly  give 

me  what  I require,  ’ asked  the  robber.  ‘ I will,  in 
truth,  if  you  do  not  require  more  than  I have  got,  ’ 
replied  the  non-resistant.  ‘Then,  I want  fifteen 
pounds,  ’ (about  seventy-five  dollars.)  The  required 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


147 


sum  was  counted  out  to  him,  and  in  gold,  instead  of 
in  bank-bills,  which,  if  the  numbers  had  been  ob- 
served, the  reverend  father,  by  notifying  the  bank, 
could  have  rendered  uncurrent,  besides  leaving  the 
robber  liable  to  detection  in  attempting  to  pass  them, 
telling  him  at  the  same  time  why  he  gave  the  gold  in- 
stead of  bank-notes;  and  saying,  1 Unfortunate  man, 
I make  you  welcome  to  this  sum.  Go  home.  Pay 
your  debts.  Hereafter,  get  your  living  honestly.  ’ 
“Years  rolled  on.  At  length,  the  good  preacher 
received  a letter,  containing  principal  and  interest, 
and  a humble  confession  of  his  sins,  from  the  robber 
saying  that  his  appeals  waked  up  his  slumbering 
conscience,  which  had  given  him  no  rest  till  he  had 
made  both  restitution  and  confession,  besides  wholly 
changing  his  course  of  life.  ' ’ 

Reader  ! Conscience  is  a more  powerful  principle 
than  fear:  and  more  difficult  to  stifle.  Precaution 
may  make  the  wicked  feel  safe;  but  conscience  is  not 
to  be  thus  put  off,  or  its  remonstrances  hushed  by 
thoughts  of  safety.  Punishment  appeals  to  physical 
fear,  which  a due  precaution  against  detection  quiets; 
but  cultivate  and  properly  direct  the  consciences  of 
children,  and  urge  home  moral  accountability  upon 
adults,  and  an  effectual  reformation  will  thereby  be 
brought  about.  Reader  ! I leave  it  for  you  to  say, 
whether  this  is  not  a law  of  mind. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Ramsay,  another  Methodist  clergy- 
man, was  wholly  dependent  for  his  living  on  the  quar- 
terly collection  made  by  his  people,  which  was  barely 
sufficient,  by  the  greatest  economy,  to  Support  his 
family.  On  the  night  that  one  of  these  collections  was 
taken  up,  he  was  obliged  to  preach  six  miles  distant 
from  his  home,  and  the  night  was  too  stormy  to  allow 


148 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 

of  his  return.  During  the  night,  two  robbers  broke 
into  his  house,  called  up  Mrs.  Eamsay  and  her  sister, 
(there  were  no  men  living  in  the  house,)  and  demanded 
to  know  where  the  money  was.  Mrs.  R. , in  her  night 
dress,  lit  the  candle,  and  leading  the  way  to  the  bu- 
reau that  contained  the  precious  deposit,  procured  the 
key,  opened  the  drawer,  and  pointing  out  the  money 
as  it  lay  in  a handkerchief,  said,  e This  is  all  we  have 
to  live  on.  It  is  the  Lord’s  money.  Yet-,  if  you  will 
take  it,  there  it  is.  ’ With  this  remark,  she  left  them 
and  retired  to  bed.  The  next  morning,  the  money  to 
a cent  was  found  undisturbed.  Conscience  here,  as 
above,  was  appealed  to,  and  with  the  same  results. — 
Fowler' s Phrenological  Journal. 

THE  TWO  NEW  ZEALAND  CHIEFS. 

The  following  highly  interesting  fact  relates  to  the 
conduct  of  two  principal  persons  in  Yew  Zealand;  one 
of  them  of  the  Ygapuhi  tribe,  and  the  other  residing 
at  Otumoetai  in  that  island.  We  are  indebted  for 
this  truly  gratifying  account  of  highly  elevated  feel- 
ings (in  men,  until  lately,  looked  upon  as  incorrigible 
savages,)  to  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Taylor  and  Wilson,  sta- 
tioned among  them.  It  is  extracted  from  the  (Church 
of  England)  Missionary  Register,  for  January,  1841. 
Who  can  but  wish  that  all  our  countrymen,  recently 
gone  thither,  may  acquire  this  truly  Christian  spirit 
in  settling  disputes,  and  forget  the  warlike  methods 
which,  to  the  disgrace  of  Christianity,  are  practiced 
in  Europe  and  elsewhere,  by  the  professed  followers  of 
the  Saviour  of  the  world,  the  Prince  of  Peace  % 

THE  MISSIONARY  AND  ARABS. 

Mr.  King,  a respectable  Missionary  in  Palestine, 
mentions  a remarkable  instance  of  the  effect  of  pacific 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


149 


conduct,  which  operated  to  preserve  his  own  life  and 
the  lives  of  a considerable  party,  when  assailed 
by  a powerful  band  of  Arabs  on  the  plain  of 
Esdracion.  The  party  of  Mr.  King  had  lost  a trunk, 
which  had  been  stolen,  as  they  supposed,  by  some 
Arabs.  In  consequence  of  this  they  seized  two  Arabs, 
and  bound  them  together  with  cords,  believing  them 
to  be  tli'.:  robbers.  These  they  took  along  with  them, on 
their  journey,  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  Mr.  King. 
Soon  the  whole  party  were  attacked  by  a band  of 
Arabs,  who  set  their  brethren  at  liberty.  Great  was 
the  alarm;  but  one  of  the  party  of  Mr.  King  being 
about  to  fire  on  the  Arabs,  Mr.  King  objected,  and 
others  interposed  in  season  to  prevent  the  evil  intend- 
ed. Every  part  of  the  Kofila  was  soon  attacked, 
and  Mr  King  observes: 

“It  was  no  time  to  parley.  All  was  confusion. 
Ko  one  knew  whether  he  expected  life  or  death. 
The  latter,  however,  seemed  to  .stare  us  in  the  face. 
Our  baggage  was  at  length  cut  off:  there  seemed  to 
be  a little  cessation  on  the  part  of  the  Arabs,  and  I 
hoped  that,  contented  with  our  baggage,  they  would 
let  us  go  in  peace.  But  in  a moment  I saw  them 
coming  on  again,  and  I thought  that  probably  all  was 
lost,  and  that,  as  they  had  stopped  our  baggage,  they 
now  intended  ro  take  our  lives.  It  was  an  awful 
moment.  I could  only  say,  ‘Heaven  defenfl  qgt?  I 
was  in  front  of  the  Kofila,  and  a little  distance  ahead,, 
when  an  Arab  Sheik  came  flying  up  to  me  on  his: 
steed  with  a large  club  in  his  hand.  Making  a halt, 

I addressed  him,  calling  him  brother  ; and  said,  ‘do. 
me  no  harm,  I have  not  injured  you.’ 

“I  spoke  to  him  words  of  peace  and  gentleness.. 
Upon  this  he  let  down  his  club  which  he  had  been 


150 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


brandishing,  halted,  listened,  and  presently  turned 
away;  and  soon  after  I saw  him  driving  back  some  of 
our  pursuers,  and  the  cry  of  ay  man  (safety)  was 
heard  by  us ; and  I need  not  say  it  was  a welcome 
sound  to  our  ears. 

“The  baggage,  too,  to  my  surprise,  was  soon  after 
permitted  to  come  on.  The  attack  was  a gallant  one, 
and  made  by  the  Arabs,  as  if  they  were  determined  to 
carry  their  point-  through  life  or  death.  And  I have 
no  doubt  that  had  one  of  their  party  fallen  by  our 
hands,  it  would  have  been  the  signal  for  the  slaughter 
of  us  all.” 

A CHRISTIAN  TRIBE  IN  AFRICA. 

The  following  interesting  incident  is  copied  from 
“Moffat’s  Southern  Africa.”  It  occurred  in  a re- 
mote village  of  native  Africans,  the  inhabitants  of 
which  had  received  Christian  teachers,  and  were  just 
.emerging  from  a state  of  barbarism : 

£ ‘This  little  Christian  band  had  met  on  a Sabbath 
morning,  with  the  people,  in  the  centre  of  the  village, 
to  hold  the  early  prayer  meeting,  before  the  services 
of  the  day.  They  were  scarcely  seated  when  a party 
-of  marauders  approached  from  the  interior,  whither 
they  had  gone  for  plunder,  and  not  having  succeeded 
to  their  wishes,  had  determined  to  attack  this  village 
on  their  return. 

“Moshen  (the  chief)  arose,  and  begged  the  people 
to  sit  still,  and  trust  in  Jehovah,  while  he  went  to 
meet  the  marauders.  To  his  inquiry  what  they 
wanted,  the  appalling  reply  was,  ‘your  cattle,  and  it 
is  at  your  peril  you  raise  your  weapons  to  resist.’ 
‘There  are  my  cattle,’  replied  the  chief,  and  then  re- 
tired and  resumed  his  position  at  the  prayer  meeting. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


151 


A hymn  was  sung,  a chapter  read,  and  then  all 
kneeled  in  prayer  to  God,  who  only  could  save  them 
in  their  distress. 

The  sight  was  too  sacred  and  solemn  to  be  gazed  on 
by  such  a band  of  ruffians  ; they  all  withdrew  from 
the  spot,  without  touching  a single  article  belonging 
to  the  people.” 

THE  MORAVIAN  INDIANS. 

A small  tribe  of  Indians  in  the  West  had  been  con- 
verted by  the  Moravian  Missionaries  to  their  faith, 
one  article  of  which  is  that  Christians  cannot  inno- 
cently fight,  even  to  save  their  lives.  A while  after- 
wards this  little  pacific  tribe  was  thrown  into  extreme 
alarm  and  distress  by  intelligence  that  a much  larger 
tribe  at  some  distance  to  the  JTorth  meditated  a hos- 
tile incursion  upon  them.  They  called  on  their 
Moravian  teachers  for  advice.  They  did  not  see  how 
they  could  possibly  avoid  fighting  under  such  circum- 
stances. They  feared  they  should  be  utterly  de- 
stroyed by  their  enemies  unless  they  resisted.  They 
were  affectionately  and  earnestly  exhorted  to  abide  by 
their  principles,  and  trust  in  God.  They  were  told 
of  the  superior  numbers  of  the  hostile  tribe,  and  how 
uncertain  their  fate  would  be,  should  they  presume 
to  make  deadly  weapons  their  reliance.  They  were 
advised  to  select  a few  of  their  oldest  men  as  a dele- 
gation, and  to  supply  them  with  such  presents  of 
choice  eatables  and  other  articles,  as  their  circum- 
stances would  afford.  This  venerable  delegation,  en- 
tirely unarmed,  except  with  their  baskets  of  parched 
corn,  fruits,  &c.,  were  to  advance  and  meet  the  enemy 
at  a distance  from  the  village.  Meantime  those  who 
remained  behind  were  to  engage  in  united  supplica- 


152 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


tion  to  the  Father  of  spirits  for  his  protection.  The 
advice  was  accepted,  faithfully  followed,  and  suc- 
cessfully carried  out.  The  hostile  Indians  were 
advancing  upon  their  defenceless  prey.  The 
old  men,  laden  with  their  simple  but  significant  pres- 
ents, went  out  to  meet  them.  The  invaders,  aston- 
ished and  awed  by  the  spectacle,  halted  on  their  tom- 
ahawks. When  the  delegates  reached  the  advanced 
lines  they  opened  as  if  by  magic,  and  a passage  was 
freely  offered  them  to  the  presence  of  the  commanding 
Sachem.  Their  age  and  meekness  commanded  his  in- 
stant admiration.  He  accepted  their  presents, listened 
to  their  counsels  of  peace,  declared  his  friendship, 
sent  them  back  with  assurances  that  no  injury  should 
be  done  by  his  tribe  to  theirs,  and  declared  that  if  any 
attack  should  be  made  upon  them  he  and  his  people 
would  be  their  protectors.  So  these  truly  Christian 
Indians  escaped  entirely  the  threatened  injury,  and 
sat  down  in  their  cabins,  surrounded  by  bulwarks  of 
security  such  as  nothing  but  these  divine  principles 
and  their  all  perfect  Author  can  establish. 

THE  MORAVIANS  OF  GRACE  HILL. 

During  the  rebellion  in  Ireland,  in  1793,  the  rebels, 
it  is  stated,  had  long  meditated  an  attack  on  the  Mo- 
ravian settlement  at  Grace  Hill,  Wexford  county.  At 
length,  in  fulfilment  of  their  threats,  a large  body  of 
them  marched  to  the  town.  But  the  Moravians,  true 
to  their  principles,  in  this  trying  emergency,  did  not 
meet  them  in  arms;  but  assembling  in  their  place  of 
worship,  besought  Jehovah  to  be  their  shield  and 
protector  in  the  hour  pf  danger.  The  hostile  bands 
who  had  expected  an  armed  resistance,  were  struck 
with  astonishment  at  a sight  so  unexpected  and  im- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


153 


pressive;  they  heard  the  prayers  and  praises  of  the 
Moravians;  they  listened  to  supplications  in  their  own 
behalf;  and  after  lingering  in  the  streets  a whole  day 
and  night,  they  with  one  consent  turned  and  marched 
away,  without  having  injured  a single  individual. 

THE  SHAKERS. 

“The  Shakers,  too,  have  experienced  that  protec- 
tion which  pacific  principles  are  sure  to  afford.  About 
the  year  1S12,  the  inhabitants  of  Indiana  were  har- 
assed by  incursions  from  ilie  Indians;  but  the  Shakers 
who  lived  in  that  region,  although  they  were  without 
garrisons  and  without  arms,  appear  to  have  been  en- 
tirely secure,  while  the  work  of  destruction  was  going- 
on  around  them.  The  question  was  once  put  to  a 
prominent  chief,  why  the  Indians  did  not  attack  and 
injure  the  Shakers,  as  well  as  others.  His  answer 
was,  ‘ We  warriors  meddle  with  a peaceable  people  ! 
That  people,  we  know,  will  not  fight.  It  would  be  a 
disgrace  to  hurt  such  a people.  ’ ” — The  Friend  of 
Peace. 

THE  INDIANS  AND  THE  QUAKER  FAMILY. 

An  intelligent  Quaker  of  Cincinnatti,  related  to  me 
the  following  circumstance,  as  evidence  that  the  prin- 
ciple of  non-resistance  possesses  great  influence,  even 
over  the  savage.  During  the  last  war,  a Quaker  lived 
among  the  inhabitants  of  a small  settlement  on  our 
western  frontier.  W'hen  the  savages  commenced  their 
desolating  outbreaks,  every  inhabitant  fled  to  the  in- 
terior settlements,  with  the  exception  of  the  Quaker 
and  his  family.  He  determined  to  remain,  and  rely 
wholly  upon  the  simple  rule  of  disarming  his  enemies 
with  entire  confidence  and  kindness.  One  morning 
he  observed,  through  his  window,  a file  of  savages  is- 


154 


CHRISTIAN  NON- RESISTANCE. 


suing  from  the  forest  in  the  direction  of  his  house. 
He  immediately  went  out  and  met  them,  and  put  out 
his  hand  to  the  leader  of  the  party.  But  neither  he 
nor  the  rest  gave  him  any  notice — they  entered  his 
house,  and  searched  it  for  arms,  and  had  they  found 
any,  most  probably  would  have  murdered  every  mem- 
ber of  the  family.  There  were  none,  however,  and 
they  quietly  partook  of  the  provisions  which  he 
placed  before  them,  and  left  him  in  peace.  At  the 
entrance  of  the  forest,  he  observed  that  they  stopped 
and  appeared  to  be  holding  a council.  Soon  one  of 
their  number  left  the  rest,  and  came  towards  his 
dwelling  on  the  leap.  He  reached  the  door,  and  fas- 
tened a simple  white  feather  above  it,  and  returned 
to  his  band,  when  they  all  disappeared.  Ever  after, 
that  white  feather  saved  him  from  the  savages;  for 
whenever  a party  came  by  and  observed  it,  it  was  a 
sign  of  peace  to  them.  In  this  instance,  we  discover 
that  the  law  of  kindness  disarmed  even  savage  foes, 
whose  white  feather  told  their  red  brethren  that  the 
'Quaker  was  a follower  of  Penn,  and  the  friend  of  their 
race. — Montgomery1  s Law  of  Kindness. 

THE  INHABITANTS  OF  THE  LOOCHOO  ISLANDS. 

These  islands  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Chi- 
nese Sea.  They  have  been  visited  by  several  naviga- 
tors, and,  among  others,  by  Captain  Basil  Hall.  He 
states  that  they  have  neither  forts,  men-of-war,  gar- 
risons, arms,  nor  soldiers,  and  appear  to  be  quite  ig- 
norant of  the  art  of  war.  They  are  kind,  hospitable, 
courteous,  and  honest,  and  acquainted  with  some  of 
the  mechanical  arts.  Well,  what  has  been  their  fate! 
Reasoning  on  the  rash  premises  of  our  opponents,  we 
should  predicate  their  utter  destruction.  But  have 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


155 


they  been  destroyed  ? Quite  the  contrary.  They 
have  been  preserved  in  peace,  safety  and  happiness. 
u The  Olive  branch  ” is  planted  on  their  shores,  and 
they  sit  beneath  it,  “ no  man  daring  to  make  them 
afraid.  ” — McCree. 

THE  INDIANS  AND  THE  QUAKER  MEETING. 

I have  somewhere  met  with  the  following  anecdote, 
but  cannot  now  recollect  where.  In  western  Hew 
York  or  Pennsylvania,  in  a period  of  Indian  hostili- 
ties, a neighborhood  of  Friends,  who  had  erected  a log 
meeting  house,  regularly  assembled  after  the  manner 
of  their  Society.  They  had  been  invited  and  urged 
to  come  within  the  protection  of  the  army  and  its  for- 
tifications. But  they  refused  to  abandon  their  testi- 
mony by  expressing  auy  such  reliance  on  the  arm  of 
flesh.  They  were  consequently  exposed  to  the  attack 
of  every  wandering  horde  of  warriors  on  that  part  of 
the  frontier.  One  day,  while  sitting  in  silent  devo- 
tion in  their  rude  meeting  house,  a party  of  Indians 
suddenly  approached  the  place,  painted  and  armed 
for  the  work  of  slaughter.  They  passed  to  and  fro  by 
the  open  door  of  the  house,  looking  inquisitively  with- 
in and  about  the  building,  till  having  sufficiently  re- 
connoitred the  quiet  worshippers,  they  at  length  re- 
spectfully entered  and  joined  them.  They  were  met 
by  the  principal  Friends  with  the  outstretched  hand 
of  peace,  and  shown  to  such  seats  as  the  house  af- 
forded, which  they  occupied  in  reverent  silence  till 
the  meeting  was  regularly  dissolved.  They  were  then 
invited  to  one  of  the  nearest  dwellings  by  the  leading- 
man  of  the  Society,  and  hospitably  refreshed.  On 
their  departure  the  Indian  chief  took  his  host  aside, 
and  pledged  him  and  his  people  perfect  security  from 


156 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


all  the  depredations  of  the  red  men.  Said  he,  “ when 
Indian  come  to  this  place,  Indian  meant  to  tomahawk 
every  white  man  he  found.  But  when-  Indian  found 
white  man  with  no  guns,  no  fighting  weapons,  so  still, 
so  peaceable,  worshipping  Great  Spirit,  the  Great 
Spirit  say  in  Indian’s  heart — no  hurt  them,  no  hurt 
them  ! ” So  saying,  he  gave  a final  friendly  grip  and 
hastened  off  with  his  followers  to  find  that  sort  of 
white  man  whose  confidence  in  deadly  weapons  in- 
vited destruction. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  TOWN  IN  THE  TYROL. 

The  following  is  a beautiful  extract  from  one  of 
Lydia  Maria  Child’s  letters  to  the  Boston  Courier.  I 
commend  it  not  merely  to  a pleasant  reading,  which 
it  will  be  sure  to  receive,  but  to  a most  serious  con- 
sideration : 

“To  day  is  Christmas.  From  East  to  West,  from 
North  to  South,  men  chant  hymus  of  praise  to  the 
despised  Nazarene,  and  kneel  in  worship  before  his 
cross.  How  beautiful  is  this  universal  homage  to  the 
principle  of  love  ! — that  feminine  principle  of  the  uni- 
verse, the  inmost  centre  of  Christianity.  It  is  the 
divine  idea  which  distinguishes  it  from  all  other  re- 
ligions, and  yet  the  idea  in  which  Christian  nations 
evince  so  little  faith,  that  one  would  think  they  kept 
only  to  swear  by  that  gospel  which  says,  ‘swear  not  at 
all.’ 

“Centuries  ha  ve  passed,  and  through  infinite  con- 
flict have  ‘ushered  in  our  brief  day;’  and  is  there 
peace  and  good  will  among  men  ? Sincere  faith  in  the 
words  of  Jesus  would  soon  fulfil  the  prophecy  which 
angels  sung.  But  the  world  persists  in  saying,  ‘this 
doctrine  of  unqualified  forgiveness  and  perfect  love. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


157 


through  beautiful  aud  holy,  caunot  be  carried  into 
practice  now;  men  are  not  prepared  for  it.’  The 
same  spirit  says,  ‘it  would  not  be  safe  to  emancipate 
slaves;  they  must  first  be  fitted  for  freedom.  ’ As  if 
slavery  ever  could  fit  men  for  freedom,  or  war  ever 
lead  the  nations  into  peace  ! Yet  men  who  gravely 
utter  these  excuses,  laugh  at  the  shallow  wit  of  that 
timid  mother,  who  declared  that  her  son  should  never 
venture  into  the  water  till  he  had  learned  to  swim. 

“Those  who  have  dared  to  trust  the  principles  of 
peace,  have  always  found  them  perfectly  safe.  It  can 
never  prove  otherwise,  if  accompanied  by  the  declar- 
ation that  such  a course  is  the  result  of  Christian 
principle,  and  a deep  friendliness  for  humanity.  Who 
seemed  so  little  likely  to  understand  such  a position, 
as  the  Indians  of  North  America?  Yet  how  readily 
they  laid  down  tomahawks  and  scalping  knives  at  the 
feet  of  William  Penn ! With  what  humble  sorrow 
they  apologized  for  killing  the  only  three  Quakers 
they  were  ever  known  to  attack  ! ‘The  men  carried 
arms,’  said  they,  ‘and  therefore  we  did  not  know  they 
were  not  fighters.  We  thought  they  pretended  to  be 
Quakers,  because  they  were  cowards.’  The  savages 
of  the  East,  who  murdered  Lyman  and  Munson,  made 
the  same  excuse.  ‘They  carried  arms,’  said  they, 
‘and  so  we  supposed  they  were  not  Christian  mission- 
aries, but  enemies.  We  would  have  done  them  no 
harm,  if  we  had  known  they  were  men  of  God.’ 

“If  a nation  could  but  attain  to  such  high  wisdom 
as  to  abjure  war,  aud  proclaim  to  all  the  earth,  ‘we 
will  not  fight  under  any  provocation  ; if  other  nations 
have  aught  against  us,  we  will  settle  the  question  by 
umpires  mutually  chosen  ;’  think  you  that  any  na- 
tion would  dare  to  make  war  upon  such  a people? 


158 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


Nay.  verily,  they  would  be  instinctively  ashamed  of 
such  an  act,  as  men  are  now  ashamed  to  attack  a 
woman  or  a child.  Even  if  any  were  found  mean 
enough  to  pursue  such  a course,,  the  whole  civilized 
world  would  cry  fie  upon  them,  and,  by  universal  con- 
sent, brand  them  as  poltroons  and  assassins.  And 
assassins  they  would  be,  even  in  the  common  accepta- 
tion of  the  term.  I have  read  of  a certain  regiment 
ordered  to  march  into  a small  town  (in  the  Tyrol,  I 
think, ) and  take  it.  Tt  chanced  that  the  place  was 
settled  by  a colony  who  believed  the  gospel  of  Christ, 
and  proved  their  faith  by  works . A courier  from  a 
neigh  coring  village  informed  them  that  troops  were 
advancing  to  take  the  town.  They  cpiietly  answered, 
‘If  they^  will  take  it  they  must.’  Soldiers  soon  came 
riding  in  with  colors  flying,  and  fifes  piping  their  shrill 
defiance.  They  looked  round  for  an  enemy,  and  saw 
the  farmer  at  his  plough,  the  blacksmith  at  his  anvil, 
and  the  women  at  their  churns  and  spinning-wheels. 
Babies  crowed  to  hear  the  music,  and  boys  ran  out 
to  see  the  pretty  trainers,  with  feathers  and  bright 
buttons,  ‘the  harlequins  of  the  nineteenth  century.’ 
Of  course,  none  of  these  were  in  a proper  position  to 
to  be  shot  at.  ‘Where  are  your  soldiers  V they 
asked.  “We  have  none,’  was  the  brief  reply.  ‘But 
we  have  come  to  take  the  town.’  ‘Well,  friends,  it 
lies  before  you.’  ‘But  is  there  nobodyrhere  to  fight?” 
‘No  we  are  all  Christians.’  Here  was  an  emergency 
altogether  unprovided  for  by  the  military  schools. 
This  was  a sort  of  resistance  which  no  bullet  could 
hit;  a fortress  perfectly  bomb-proof.  The  commander 
was  perplexed.  ‘If  there  is  nobody  to  fight  with,  of 
course  we  cannot  fight,’  said  he.  ‘It  is  impossible  to 
take  such  a town  as  this.’  So  he  ordered  the  horses 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


159 


heads  to  be  turned  about,  and  they  carried  the  human 
animals  out  of  the  village,  as  guiltless  as  they  entered, 
and  perchance  somewhat  wiser. 

“This  experiment  on  a small  scale  indicates  how 
easy  it  would  be  to  dispense  with  armies  and  na- 
vies, il  men  only  had  faith  in  the  religion  they  profess 
to  believe.  When  France  lately  reduced  her  army, 
England  immediately  did  the  same;  for  the  existauce 
of  one  army  creates  the  necessity  of  another,  unless 
men  are  safely  ensconced  in  the  bomb-proof  fortress 
above  mentioned.” 

CAPT.  BACK — THE  QUAKERS — THE  MALAYS. 

I shall  make  no  apology  for  adding  to  the  foregoing 
the  following  extracts  from  another  article,  by  the 
same  fruitful  and  instructive  pen. 

“It  is  a mission  worth  living  for,  if  I can  give  the 
least  aid  in  convincing  mankind  that  the  Christian 
doctrine  of  overcoming  evil  with  good,  is  not  merely 
a beautiful  sentiment,  as  becoming  to  the  religious,  as 
are  pearls  to  the  maiden’s  bosom,  but  that  it  is  really 
the  highest  reason,  the  bravest  manliness,  the  most 
comprehensive  philosophy,  the  wisest  political  econ- 
omy. 

The  amount  of  proof  that  it  is  so,  seems  abundant 
enough  to  warrant  the  belief  that  a practical  adoption 
of  peace  principles  would  be  always  safe,  even  with 
the  most  savage  men,  and  under  the  most  desperate 
circumstances,  provided  there  was  a chance  to  have 
it  distinctly  understood  that  such  a course  was  not 
based  on  cowardice,  but  on  principle. 

“When  Capt.  Back  went  to  the  Polar  regions  in 
search  of  his  friend,  Capt.  Eoss,  he  fell  in  with  a band 
of  the  Esquimaux,  who  had  never  seen  a white  man. 


1(50  CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 

The  chief  raised  a spear  to  hurl  it  at  the  stranger’s 
head;  but  when  Capt.  Back  approached  calmly  aud 
unarmed,  the  spear  dropped,  aud  the  rude  savage 
gladly  welcomed  the  brother  man,  who  had  trusted 
in  him.  Had  Capt.  Back  adopted  the  usual  maxim, 
that  it  is  necessary  to  carry  arms  in  such  emergencies, 
he  would  probably  have  occasioned  his  own  death 
and  that  of  his  companions.  ” 

Perhaps  the  severest  test  to  which  the  peace  prin- 
ciples were  ever  put,  was  in  Ireland,  during  the  mem- 
orable rebellion  of  179S.  During  that  terrible  conflict 
the  Irish  Quakers  were  continually  between  two  fires. 
The  Protestant  party  viewed  them  with  suspicion  and 
dislike  because  they  refused  to  tight  or  to  pay  mili- 
tary taxes;  and  the  fierce  multitude  of  insurgents 
deemed  it  sufficient  cause  of  death,  that  they  would 
neither  profess  belief  in  the  Catholic  religion  nor  help 
them  fight  for  Irish  freedom.  Victory  alternated  be- 
tween the  two  contending  parties,  and,  as  usual  in 
civil  war,  the  victors  made  almost  u ndiscriminate  havoc 
of  those  who  did  not  march  under  their  banners.  It 
was  a perilous  time  for  all  men:  but  the  Quakers  alone 
were  liable  to  a raking  fire  from  both  sides.  Foresee- 
ing calamity,  they  had,  nearly  two  years  before  the 
war  broke  out,  publicly  destroyed  all  their  guns,  and 
other  weapons  used  for  game.  But  this  pledge  of  pa- 
cific intentions  was  not  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  gov- 
ernment, which  required  warlike  assistance  at  their 
hands.  Threats  and  insults  were  heaped  upon  them 
from  all  quarters;  but  they  steadfastly  adhered  to  their 
resolution  of  doing  good  to  both  parties,  and  harm 
to  neither.  Their  houses  were  filled  with  widows  and 
orphans,  with  the  sick,  the  wounded  and  the  dying, 

belonging  both  to  the  loyalists  and  the  rebels.  Some- 

10 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


161 


times,  when  the  Catholic  insurgents  were  victorious, 
they  would  be  greatly  enraged  to  find  Quaker  houses 
filled  with  Protestant  families.  They  would  point 
their  pistols  and  threaten  death,  if  their  enemies  were 
not  immediately  turned  into  the  street  to  be  massa- 
cred. But  the  pistol  dropped,  when  the  Christian 
mildly  replied,  “Friend,  do  what  thou  wilt,  I will  not 
harm  thee,  or  any  other  human  being.”  Not  even 
amid  the  savage  fierceness  of  civil  war,  could  men 
fire  at  one  who  spoke  such  words  as  these.  They  saw 
that  this  was  not  cowardice,  but  bravery  very  much 
higher  than  their  own. 

On  one  occasion,  an  insurgent  threatened  to  burn 
down  a Quaker  house  unless  the  owner  expelled  the 
Protestant  women  and  children  who  had  taken  refuge 
there.  “I  cannot  help  it,  ’ replied  the  Friend;  “so  long 
as  I have  a house,  I will  keep  it  open  to  succor  the 
helpless  and  distressed,  whether  they  belong  to  thy 
ranks,  or  those  of  thy  enemies.  If  my  house  is 
burned,  I must  be  turned  out  with  them,  and  share 
their  affliction.”  The  fighter  turned  away  and  did  the 
Christian  no  harm. 

The  Protestant  party  seized  the  Quaker  school- 
master of  Ballitore,  saying  they  could  see  no  reason 
why  he  should  stay  at  home  in  quiet,  while  they  were 
obliged  to  defend  his  property.  “Friends-,  I have 
asked  no  man  to  fight  for  me,”  replied  the  school- 
master. But  they  dragged  him  along,  swearing  that 
he  should  at  least  stop  a bullet.  His  house  and  school- 
house  were  filled  with  women  and  children,  who  had 
taken  refuge  there ; for  it  was  an  instructive  fact, 
throughout  this  bloody  contest,  that  the  houses  of  the 
men  of  peace  zvere  the  only  places  of  safety.  Some 
of  the  women  followed  the  soldiers,  begging  them  not 


162 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


to  take  away  their  friend  and  protector,  a man  who 
had  expended  more  for  the  sick  and  starving,  than 
others  did  for  arms  and  ammunition.  The  school- 
master said,  “Do  not  be  distressed,  my  friends.  I 
forgive  these  neighbors;  for  what  they  do,  they  do 
in  ignorance  of  my  principles  and  feelings.  They 
may  take  my  life,  but  they  cannot  force  me  to  do 
injury  to  one  of  my  fellow  creatures.”  As  the  Catho- 
lics had  done,  so  did  the  Protestants ; they  went  away, 
and  left  the  man  of  peace  safe  in  his  divine  armor. 

The  flames  of  bigotry  were,  of  course,  fanned  by 
civil  war.  On  one  occasion,  the  insurgents  seized  a 
wealthy  old  Quaker,  in  very  feeble  health,  and  threat- 
ened to  shoot  him,  if  he  did  not  go  with  them  to  a 
Catholic  priest  to  be  christened.  They  had  not  led 
him  far,  before  he  sank  down  from  extreme  weak- 
ness. “What  do  you  say  to  our  proposition?”  asked 
one  of  the  soldiers,  handling  his  gun  significantly.  The 
old  man  quietly  replied,  “If  thou  art  permitted  to  take 
my  life  I hope  our  Heavenly  Father  will  forgive  thee.” 
The  insurgents  talked  apart  for  a few  moments,  and 
then  went  away,  restrained  by  a power  they  did  not 
understand. 

Deeds  of  kindness  added  strength  to  the  influence 
of  gentle  words.  The  officers  and  soldiers  of  both 
parties  had  had  some  dying  brother  tended  by  the 
Quakers,  or  some  starving  mother  who  had  been  fed, 
or  some  desolate  little  ones  who  had  been  cherishe  1. 
Whichever  party  marched  into  a village  victorious,  the 
cry  was,  “Spare  the  Quakers!  They  have  done  good 
to  all,  and  harm  to  none.”  While  flames  were  raging, 
and  blood  flowing  in  every  direction,  the  houses  of 
the  peace  makers  stood  uninjured. 

It  is  a circumstance  worthy  to  be  recorded,  that, 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


163 


during  the  fierce  and  terrible  struggle,  even  in  coun- 
ties where  Quakers  were  most  numerous,  but  one  of 
their  society  fell  a sacrifice. 

That  one  was  a young  man,  who,  being  afraid  to 
trust  peace  principles,  put  on  a military  uniform,  and 
went  to  the  garrison  for  protection.  The  garrison  was 
taken  by  the  insurgents,  and  he  was  killed.  ‘‘His  dress 
and  arms  spoke  the  language  of  hostility,"  says  the 
historian,  “and  therefore  invited  it.’’ 

A few  years  ago,  I met  an  elderly  man  in  the  Hart- 
ford stage,  whose  conversation  led  me  to  reflect  on 
the  baseness  and  iniquity  often  concealed  behind  the 
apparent  glory  of  war.  The  thumb  of  his  right  hand 
hung  down,  as  if  suspended  by  a piece  of  thread;  and 
some  of  the  passengers  enquired  the  cause ; “A  Malay 
woman  cut  the  muscle  with  her  sabre,”  was  the  replv. 

“A  Malay  woman!”  they  exclaimed.  “How  came 
you  fighting  with  a woman?” 

“I  did  not  know  she  was  a woman,  for  they  all  dress 
alike  there,”  said  he.  “I  was  on  board  the  U.  S.  ship 
Potomac,  when  it  was  sent  out  to  chastise  the  Malays 
for  murdering  the  crew  of  a Salem  vessel.  We  at- 
tacked one  of  their  forts,  and  killed  some  two  hundred 
or  more.  Many  of  them  were  women ; and  I can  tell 
you,  the  Malay  women  are  as  good  fighters  as  the 
men.” 

After  answering  several  questions  concerning  the 
conflict,  he  was  silent  for  a moment,  and  then  added, 
with  a sigh : 

“Ah,  that  was  a bad  business.  I do  not  like  to  re- 
member it ; I wish  I had  never  had  any  thing  to  do 
with  it.  I have  been  a seaman  from  my  youth,  and  I 
know  the  Malays  well.  They  are  a brave  and  honest 
people.  Deal  fairly  with  them,  and  they  will  treat  you 


164 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


well,  and  may  be  trusted  with  untold  gold.  The  Ameri- 
cans were  to  blame  in  that  business.  The  truth  is, 
Christian  nations  are  generally  to  blame,  in  the  outset, 
in  all  the  difficulties  with  less  civilized  people.  A 
Salem  ship  went  to  Malacca  to  trade  for  pepper.  They 
agreed  to  give  the  natives  a stated  compensation,  when 
a certain  number  of  measures  full  of  pepper  were 
delivered. 

“Men,  women  and  children  were  busy  picking  pep- 
per and  bringing  it  on  board.  The  Captain  proposed 
that  the  sailors  should  go  on  shore  and  help  them  ; 
and  the  natives  consented,  with  the  most  confiding 
good  nature.  The  sailors  were  instructed  to  pick  till 
evening,  and  then  leave  the  baskets  full  of  pepper 
around  the  bushes,  with  the  understanding  that  they 
were  to  be  brought  on  board  by  the  natives  in  the 
morning.  They  did  so,  without  exciting  any  suspicion 
of  treachery.  But  in  the  night  the  baskets  were  all 
conveyed  away,  and  the  vessel  sailed  away,  leaving 
the  Malays  unpaid  for  their  valuable  cargo.  This,  of 
course,  excited  great  indignation,  and  they  made  loud 
complaints  to  the  commander  of  the  next  American 
vessel  that  arrived  on  that  coast.  In  answer  to  a 
demand  of  redress  from  the  Government,  they  were 
assured  the  case  should  be  represented,  and  the  wrong 
repaired.  But  ‘Yankee  cuteness’  in  cheating  a few 
savages,  was  not  sufficiently  uncommon  to  make  any 
great  stir,  and  the  affair  was  soon  forgotten.  Some 
time  after,  another  Captain  of  a Salem  ship  played  a 
similar  trick,  and  carried  off  a still  larger  quantity  of 
stolen  pepper.  The  Malays,  exasperated  beyond  mea- 
sure, resorted  to  Lynch  law,  and  murdered  an  Ameri- 
can crew  that  landed  there  about  the  same  time.  The 
U.  S.  ship  Potomac  was  sent  out  to  punish  them  for 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


165 


the  outrage;  and,  as  I told,  we  killed  some  two  hun- 
dred men  and  women.  I sometimes  think  that  our 
retaliation  was  not  more  rational  or  more  like  Chris- 
tians than  theirs.” 

“Will  you  please, ”'said  I,  “to  tell  me  what  sort  of 
revenge  would  be  like  Christians  ?” 

He  hesitated  and  said  it  would  be  a hard  question 
to  answer.  “I  never  felt  pleasantly  about  that  affair,” 
continued  he;  “I  would  not  have  killed  her  if  I had 
known  she  was  a woman.” 

I asked  why  he  felt  any  more  regret  about  killing 
a woman  than  killing  a man  ? 

“I  hardly  know  why  myself,”  answered  he.  “I 
don't  suppose  I should,  if  it  were  a common  thing 
for  women  to  fight.  But  we  are  accustomed  to  think 
of  them  as  not  defending  themselves ; and  there  is 
something  in  every  human  heart  that  makes  a man 
unwilling  to  fight  in  return.  It  seems  mean  and  das- 
tardly, and  a man  cannot  work  himself  up  to  it.” 
“Then,  if  one  nation  would  not  fight,  another  could 
not,”  said  I. 

“What  if  a nation,  instead  of  an  individual,  should 
make  such  an  appeal  to  the  manly  feeling,  which  you 
say  is  inherent  in  the  heart?” 

“I  believe  other  nations  would  be  ashamed  to  attack 
her,”  he  replied.  “It  would  take  away  all  the  glory 
and  excitement  of  war,  and  the  hardiest  soldier  would 
shrink  from  it,  as  from  cold-blooded  murder.” 

“Such  a peace  establishment  would  be  at  once  cheap 
and  beautiful,"  rejoined  I ; and  so  we  parted. 

JONATHAN  DYMOND — COLONY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

I shall  relieve  myself,  and  edify  my  readers,  by  con- 
cluding this  chapter  with  a somewhat  extended  extract 


166 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


from  the  Essays  of  Jonathan  Dymoncl.  It  is  from  that 
part  of  his  third  essay,  headed,  “ The  probable  practical 
effects  of  adhering  to  the  moral  lazv  in  respect  to  war.” 
It  is  exceedingly  pertinent,  lucid  and  convincing.  He 
says : 

‘‘It  is  never  to  be  forgotten  that  our  apparent  inter- 
ests in  the  present  life  are  sometimes,  in  the  economy 
of  God,  made  subordinate  to  our  interests  in  futurity. 
Yet,  even  in  reference  only  to  the  present  state  of 
existence,  I believe  that  we  shall  find  that  the  testi- 
mony of  experience  is,  that  forbearance  is  most  con- 
ducive to  our  interests.  There  is  practical  truth  in 
the  position,  that,  ‘When  a man’s  ways  please  the 
Lord,’  he  ‘maketh  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace 
with  him.’ 

“The  reader  of  American  history  will  recollect,  that 
in  the  beginning  of  the  last  century  a desultory  and 
most  dreadful  warfare  was  carried  on  by  the  natives 
against  the  European  settlers ; a warfare  that  was 
provoked — as  such  warfare  has  almost  always  orig- 
inally been — by  the  injury  and  violence  of  the  [nom- 
inal] Christians.  The  mode  of  destruction  was  secret 
and  sudden.  The  barbarians  sometimes  lay  in  wait 
for  those  who  might  come  within  their  reach,  on  the 
highway  or  in  the  fields,  and  shot  them  without  warn- 
ing, and  sometimes  they  attacked  the  Europeans  in 
their  houses,  ‘scalping  some,  and  knocking  out  the 
brains  of  others.’  From  this  horrible  warfare  the  in- 
habitants sought  safety  by  abandoning  their  houses, 
and  retiring  to  fortified  places,  or  to  the  neighborhood 
of  garrisons ; and  those  whom  necessity  still  compelled 
to  pass  beyond  the  limits  of  such  protection,  provided 
themselves  with  arms  for  their  defence.  But  amidst 
this  dreadful  desolation  and  universal  terror,  the 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


167 


Society  of  Friends,  who  were  a considerable  portion 
of  the  whole  population,  were  steadfast  to  their  prin- 
ciples. They  would  neither  retire  to  garrisons,  nor 
provide  themselves  with  arms.  They  remained  openly 
in  the  country,  whilst  the  rest  were  flying  to  the  forts. 
They  still  pursued  their  occupations  in  -the  fields  or  at 
their  homes,  without  a weapon  either  for  annoyance 
or  defence.  And  what  was  their  fate?  They  lived 
in  security  and  quiet.  The  habitation,  which,  to  his 
armed  neighbor,  was  the  scene  of  murder  and  of  the 
scalping  knife,  was  to  the  unarmed  Quaker  a place  of 
safety  and  of  peace.  Three  of  the  Society  were,  how- 
ever, killed.  And  who  were  they?  They  were  three 
who  abandoned  their  principles.  Two  of  these  vic- 
tims were  men  who,  in  the  simple  language  of  the 
narrator,  ‘used  to  go  to  their  labor  without  any 
weapons,  and  trusted  to  the  Almighty,  and  depended 
on  his  providence  to  protect  them  (it  being  their  prin- 
ciple not  to  use  weapons  of  war  to  offend  others,  or  to 
defend  themselves),  but  a spirit  of  distrust  taking 
place  in  their  minds,  they  took  weapons  of  war  to 
defend  themselves,  and  the  Indians  who  had  seen  them 
several  times  without  them  and  let  them  alone,  saying 
they  were  peaceable  men  and  hurt  nobody,  therefore 
they  would  not  hurt  them — now  seeing  them  have 
guns, 'and  supposing  they  designed  to  kill  the  Indians, 
they  therefore  shot  the  men  dead.  The  third  whose 
life  was  sacrificed  was  a woman,  ‘who  had  remained  in 
her  habitation,’  not  thinking  herself  warranted  in  going 
‘to  a fortified  place  for  preservation,’  neither  she,  her 
son,  nor  daughter,  nor  to  take  thither  the  little  ones: 
but  the  poor  woman  after  some  time  began  to  let  in  a 
slavish  fear,  and  advised  her  children  to  go  with  her 
to  a fort  not  far  from  their  dwelling.  She  went ; and 


168 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


shortly  afterwards  ‘the  bloody,  cruel  Indians,  lay  by 
the  way,  and  killed  her.’ 

"The  fate  of  the  Quakers  during  the  rebellion  in 
Ireland  was  nearly  similar.  It  is  well  known  the 
Rebellion  was  a time  not  only  of  open  war  but  of  cold- 
blooded murder;  of  the  utmost  fury  of  bigotry,  and 
the  utmost  exasperation  of  revenge.  Yet  the  Quakers 
were  preserved  even  to  a proverb ; and  when  strangers 
passed  through  streets  of  ruin,  and  observed  a house 
standing  uninjured  and  alone,  they  would  sometimes 
point,  and  say,  ‘That,  doubtless,  is  the  house  of  a 
Quaker.’  So  complete  indeed  was  the  preservation 
which  these  people  experienced,  that  in  an  official 
document  of  the  Society  they  say,  ‘no  inember  of  our 
Society  fell  a sacrifice  but  one  young  man;  and  that 
young  man  had  assumed  regimentals  and  arms.’ 

“It  were  to  no  purpose  to  say,  in  opposition  to  the 
evidence  of  these  facts,  that  they  form  an  exception 
to  a general  rule.  The  exception  to  the  rule  consists 
in  the  trial  of  the  experiment  of  non-resistance,  not 
in  its  success.  Neither  were  it  to  any  purpose  to  say, 
that  the  savages  of  America,  or  the  desperadoes  of 
Ireland,  spared  the  Quakers  because  they  were  pre- 
viously known  to  be  an  unoffending  people,  or  because 
the  Quakers  had  previously  gained  the  love  of  these  by 
forbearance  or  good  offices.  We  concede  all  this:  it 
is  the  very  argument  which  we  maintain.  We  say, 
that  a uniform,  undeviating  regard  to  the  peaceable 
obligations  of  Christianity  becomes  the  safeguard  of 
those  who  practice  it.  We  venture  to  maintain  that 
no  reason  whatever  can  be  assigned,  why  the  fate  of 
the  Quakers  would  not  be  tbe  fate  of  all  who  should 
adopt  their  conduct.  No  reason  can  be  assigned  why, 
if  their  numbers  had  been  multiplied  ten-fold,  or  a 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


169 


hundred-fold,  they  would  not  have  been  preserved.  If 
there  be  such  a reason,  let  us  hear  it.  The  American 
and  Irish  Quakers  were,  to  the  rest  of  the  community, 
what  one  nation  is  to  a continent.  And  we  must 
require  the  advocate  of  war  to  produce  (that  which 
has  never  yet  been  produced)  a reason  for  believing, 
that  although  individuals  exposed  to  destruction  were 
preserved,  a nation  exposed  to  destruction  would  be 
destroyed.  We  do  not,  however,  say  that  if  a people, 
in  the  customary  state  of  men’s  passions,  should  be 
assailed  by  an  invader,  and  should  on  a sudden  choose 
to  declare  that  they  would  try  whether  Providence 
would  protect  them — of  such  a people  we  do  not  say 
that  they  would  experience  protection,  and  that  none 
of  them  would  be  killed.  But  we  say  that  the  evidence 
of  experience  is,  that  a people  who  habitually  regard 
the  obligations  of  Christianity  in  their  conduct  towards 
other  men  and  who  steadfastly  refuse,  through  what- 
ever consequences,  to  engage  in  acts  of  hostility,  will 
experience  protection  in  their  peacefulness.  And  it 
matters  nothing  to  the  argument,  whether  we  refer 
that  protection  to  the  immediate  agency  of  Providence, 
or  to  the  influence  of  such  conduct  upon  the  minds 
of  men. 

Such  has  been  tbe  experience  of  the  unoffending  and 
unresisting,  .in  individual  life.  A National  example  of 
a refusal  to  bear  arms,  has  only  once  been  exhibited 
to  tbe  world ; but  that  one  example  has  proved,  so  far 
as  its  political  circumstances  enabled  it  to  prove  all 
that  humanity  could  desire  and  all  that  skepticism 
could  demand,  in  favor  of  our  argument. 

THE  COLONY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

“It  has  been,”  says  he,  “the  ordinary  practice  of 


170 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


those  who  have  colonized  distant  countries,  to  force  a 
footing;  or  to  maintain  it  with  the  sword.  One  of  the 
first  objects  has  been  to  build  a fort,  and  to  provide  a 
military.  The  adventurers  became  soldiers,  and  the 
colony  was  a garrison.  Pennsylvania  was,  however, 
colonized  by  men  who  believed  that  war  was  abso- 
lutely incompatible  with  Christianity,  and  who,  there- 
fore, resolved  not  to  practice  it.  Having  determined 
not  to  fight,  they  maintained  no  soldiers  and  possessed 
no  arms.  They  planted  themselves  in  a country  that 
was  surrounded  by  savages,  and  by  savages  who  knew 
they  were  unarmed.  If  easiness  of  conquest,  or  in- 
capability of  defence,  could  subject  them  to  outrage, 
the  Pennsylvanians  might  have  been  the  very  sport  of 
violence.  Plunderers  might  have  robbed  them  without 
retaliation,  and  armies  might  have  slaughtered  them 
without  resistance.  If  they  did  not  give  a temptation 
to  outrage,  no  temptation  could  be  given.  But  these 
were  the  people  zvho  possessed  their  country  in  se- 
curity, whilst  those  around  them  were  trembling  for 
their  existence.  Theirs  was  a land  of  peace,  whilst 
every  other  was  a land  of  war.  The  conclusion  is 
inevitable,  although  it  is  extraordinary;  they  were  in 
no  need  of  arms,  because  they  would  not  use  them. 

“These  Indians  were  sufficiently  ready  to  commit 
outrages  on  other  states,  and  often  visited  them  with 
desolation  and  slaughter;  with  that  sort  of  desolation 
and  that  sort  of  slaughter  which  might  be  expected 
from  men  whom  civilization  had  not  reclaimed  from 
cruelty,  and  whom  religion  had  not  awed  into  forbear- 
ance. ‘But  whatever  the  quarrels  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Indians  were  with  others,  they  uniformly  respected 
and  held,  as  it  were,  sacred,  the  territories  of  William 
Penn.’  ‘The  Pennsylvanians  never  lost  a man,  woman 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


171 


or  child  by  them;  which  neither  the  colony  of  Mary- 
land nor  that  of  Virginia  could  say,  no  more  than  the 
great  colony  of  New  England.’ 

“The  security  and  quiet  Pennsylvania  was  not  a 
transient  freedom  from  war,  such  as  might  acci- 
dentally happen  to  any  nation.  She  continued  to  enjoy 
it  'for  more  than  seventy  years,’  and  ‘subsisted  in  the 
midst  of  six  Indian  nations,  without  so  much  as  a 
militia  for  her  defence." 

“I  cannot  wonder  that  these  people  were  not  mo- 
lested, extraordinary  and  unexampled  as  their  security 
was.  There  is  something  so  noble  in  this  confidence 
in  the  Supreme  Protector,  in  this  utter  exclusion  of 
'slavish  fear,’  in  this  voluntary  relinquishment  of  the 
means  of  injury  or  of  defence,  that  I do  not  wonder 
that  even  ferocity  could  be  disarmed  by  such  virtue. 
A people  generously  living  without  arms  amidst  na- 
tions of  warriors ! Who  would  attack  a people  such 
as  this  ? There  are  few  men  so  abandoned  as  not  to 
respect  such  confidence.  It  were  a peculiar  and  an 
unusual  intensity  of  wickedness  that  would  not  even 
revere  it. 

And  when  was  the  security  of  Pennsylvania  mo- 
lested, and  its  peace  destroyed?  When  the  men  who 
had  directed  its  counsels,  and  who  would  not  engage 
in  zvar,  were  outvoted  in  its  legislature ; when  they 
z oho  supposed  that  there  was  greater  security  in  the 
szoord  than  in  Christianity,  became  the  predominating 
body.  From  that  hour  the  Pennsylvanians  transferred 
their  confidence  in  Christian  principles,  to  a confidence 
in  arms;  and  from  that  hour  to  the  present  they  have 
been  subject  to  zvar. 

Such  is  the  evidence,  derived  from  a national  exam- 
ple, of  the  consequences  of  a pursuit  of  the  Christian 


172 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


policy  in  relation  to  war.  Here  are  a people  who  abso- 
lutely refused  to  fight,  and  who  incapacitated  them- 
selves for  resistance  by  refusing  to  possess  arms;  and 
these  were  the  people  whose  land,  amidst  surrounding 
broils  and  slaughter,  was  selected  as  a land  of  security 
and  peace.  The  only  national  opportunity  which  the 
virtue  of  the  Christian  world  has  afforded  us  of  ascer- 
taining the  safety  of  relying  upon  God  for  defence, 
has  determined  that  it  is  safe.” 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


173 


CHAPTER  VI. 


GENERAL  OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 


1.  Impracticable  till  the  millennium — Principles  of  the  millen- 
nium— Extracts  from  Professor  Upliam — 2.  Extremely  diffi- 
cult if  not  impossible — Hollowness  of  the  objection- — Battle 
at  the  passage  of  the  Traun  in  Austria — 3.  More  difficulty  in 
small  than  large  matters — Illustrations  : The  profane  swearer 
reproved  and  subdued — The  Christian  slave  and  his  enemy — 
How  to  overcome  evil — Henry  C.  Wright  and  his  assailant  — 
The  victorious  little  boy — Colony  of  Practical  Christians — 
The  avenger  stayed — Conclusion. 


The  present  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  the  consid- 
eration and  removal  of  sundry  common  objections  to 
the  doctrine  of  Christian  non-resistance. 

OBJECTION  I.  IMPRACTICABLE  TILL  THE  MILLENNIUM. 

“Your  doctrine  may  be  true  in  its  principles,  and  in 
its  ultimate  requirements ; but  it  must  be  impracticable 
till  the  millennium.  Then,  when  the  whole  human 
race  shall  have  become  regenerate,  its  sublime  morality 
will  be  the  spontaneous  development  of  all  hearts. 
Under  existing  circumstances,  while  there  is  so  much 
depravity,  and  such  multitudes  of  men  are  restlessly 
bent  on  aggression,  it  is  obviously  impracticable.  The 


174 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


wicked  would  shortly  exterminate  the  righteous  were 
the  latter  to  act  on  non-resistant  principles.” 

Answer. — 1 affirm  the  exact  contrary ; viz.,  that  the 
righteous  would  exterminate  the  wicked  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  word,  were  they  to  act  on  strict  non- 
resistant  principles.  They  would  immediately  usher 
in  the  millennium  with  all  its  blessings,  were  they  to 
act  on  these  principles  in  true  and  persevering  fidelity. 
How  else  is  it  imaginable  that  any  such  state  as  the 
millennium  should  ever  be  developed  among  mankind? 
Is  it  to  come  arbitrarily  and  mechanically?  Is  it  to 
come  “with  observation,”  the  full  grown  production 
of  some  absolute  miracle?  Is  not  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  “within”  and  “among”  men,  and  thence,  like 
leaven  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal,  destined  to  fer- 
ment and  rectify  the  whole  mass?  Ought  not  each 
true  Christian’s  heart  to  be  a germ  of  the  millennium, 
and  each  Christian  community  a proximate  miniature 
of  it?  If  not,  what  is  the  evidence  that  men  have  been 
born  again — that  there  is  any  such  thing  as  regener- 
ation ? If  professing  to  be  disciples  of  Christ,  they  are 
unable,  even  by  divine  grace,  to  practice  the  precepts 
of  their  Lord  and  Master  merely  because  the  unre- 
generate around  them  are  so  wicked,  what  is  their 
religion,  their  profession,  their  regeneration  worth? 

The  objection  before  us  involves  such  extreme  in- 
congruities, that  it  can  be  entertained  only  for  a 
moment.  Let  us  examine  it.  1.  It  presupposes  that 
Jesus  Christ  enjoined  on  his  disciples,  duties  for  the 
whole  period  preceding  the  millennium,  which  he  knew 
they  could  not  perform  until  the  arrival  of  the  latter 
period,  and  yet  gave  them  no  intimation  of  that  fact. 
2.  It  presupposes  that  Jesus  enjoined  many  particular 
duties  for  which  there  will  be  no  possible  occasion  in 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


175 


the  millennium,  and  which  therefore  can  never  be  ful- 
filled. 3.  It  presupposes  that  the  principles,  disposi- 
tions and  moral  obligation  of  men  in  the  millennium 
will  be  essentially  different  from  what  the  New  Testa- 
ment requires  them  to  be  now. 

Is  there  any  doubt  in  respect  to  these  three  state- 
ments? It  is  certain  that  Jesus  apparently  inculcates 
his  non-resistant  precepts  as  now  binding  and  practi- 
cable,— and  that  he  gives  no  intimation  of  their  im- 
practicability till  some  remote  future  period.  Was 
this  design,  chance  or  mistake!  In  either  case  it 
derogates  from  the  honor  of  the  Redeemer.  It  is  not 
to  be  presumed. 

It  is  equally  certain,  on  the  objector’s  theory,  that 
Christ  enjoined  particular  duties  for  which  there  can 
be  no  possible  occasion  in  the  millennium.  In  the 
millennium  there  will  be  no  occasion  to  put  in  practice 
the  precept  "Resist  not  evil for  there  will  be  no  evil- 
doers to  forbear  with.  In  that  day  there  will  be  no 
occasion  for  a man,  when  smitten  on  one  cheek,  to 
turn  the  other ; when  distrained  of  his  coat,  to  give  up 
his  cloak ; when  persecuted  and  reviled,  to  bless ; when 
trespassed  upon,  to  forgive ; and  no  occasion  to  love 
his  enemy,  do  good  to  his  hater,  or  pray  for  his  injurer : 
For  there  will  be  none  to  harm  or  destroy  in  all  God’s 
holy  mountain.  There  can  be  no  occasion  for  non- 
resistance  where  there  is  no  aggression,  injury  or  in- 
sult. So  that  the  objector  virtually  makes  the  Son  of 
God  appear  in  the  highest  degree  ludicrous  and  absurd. 
He  makes  him  say,  “Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been 
said,  An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a tooth  for  a tooth ; but 
I say  unto  you  that  ye  resist  not  evil,’’  in  the  millen- 
nium when  there  will  be  none.  “And  if  any  man  smite 
thee  on  thy  right  cheek,’’  in  the  millennium,  when  all 


176 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


shall  be  love  and  kindness,  “turn  unto  him  the  other 
also.”  “And  whosoever  will  sue  thee  at  the  law  ’ in 
the  millennium,  when  the  law  of  love  shall  be  uni- 
versally obeyed,  “and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have 
thy  cloak  also.”  “Love  your  enemies,”  in  the  millen- 
nium, when  you  have  no  enemies;  “bless  them  that 
curse  you,”  when  there  are  none  to  curse ; “do  good 
to  them  that  hate  you,”  when  all  love  you ; forgive 
offences  “till  seventy  times  seven,”  when  offences  shall 
be  unknown ; feed  your  foes,  when  all  are  friends ; 
and  “overcome  evil  with  good,”  when  no  evil  remains ! 

These  are  sublime  virtues  which  you  are  to  practice, 
not  nozv,  when  there  are  so  many  occasions  for  them, 
and  when  they  might  exert  such  a powerful  influence 
in  favor  of  my  religion  as  contrasted  with  the  spirit 
of  this  world — not  now;  for  they  are  impracticable  ; 
the  unbelieving  world  is  too  ivickcd  for  such  an  exem- 
plification of  righteousness;  but  in  the  millennium. 
Then  practice  them,  when  you  find  no  occasion  for 
them,  and  when  it  will  be  absolutely  impossible  to 
fulfill  them  for  want  of  an  opportunity.  “For  then 
all  shall  know  and  serve  the  Lord,  from  the  least  unto 
the  greatest ! !”  Is  the  great  Teacher  to  be  thus  under- 
stood ? Who  will  presume  to  say  it  ? 

The  third  statement  is  also  true.  The  objection  pre- 
supposes that  the  principles,  dispositions  and  moral 
obligations  of  men  in  the  millennium  will  be  essen- 
tially different  from  what  the  New  Testament  requires 
them  to  be  now.  This  is  an  error  so  fundamental  and 
yet  so  common  among  professing  Christians,  that  it 
ought  to  be  thoroughly  exploded.  Professor  Upham 
has  done  this  so  effectually,  in  his  “Manual  of  Peace,” 
that  I cannot  refrain  from  presenting  my  readers  with 
the  following  excellent  extract. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


177 


PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  MILLENNIUM. 

‘ 1 Are  we  to  expect  a new  code,  a new  system  of 
methods  of  operation  ? Are  we  to  expect  a new  Sa- 
viour, a new  crucifixion,  a new  and  amended  edition 
of  the  New  Testament  “?  Certainly  not.  The  doctrines 
of  the  millennium  are  the  doctrines  of  to-day;  the 
principles  of  the  millennium  are  the  very  principles 
which  are  obligatory  on  the  men  of  the  present  gener- 
ation; the  bond  which  will  exclude  all  contention 
and  bind  together  all  hearts,  will  be  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

“ The  gospel  is  a book  of  principles — of  great,  op- 
erative, unchangeable  principles.  Men  condemn  it 
because  they  do  not  understand  it;  even  Christians 
may  be  fairly  charged  with  treating  it  with  no  small 
degree  of  disregard,  because,  in  their  worldliness,  they 
have  neglected  to  estimate  its  heights  and  depths.  If 
heaven  could  be  brought  down  to  the  earth— if  Europe 
and  America,  and  all  other  continents  and  parts  of 
the  world,  could,  at  the  present  moment,  be  peopled 
with  angels,  and  with  seraphic  natures, — the  gospel, 
just  as  it  stands,  would  be  sufficient  to  guide  and 
govern  them.  The  blessed  companies  of  the  heav- 
enly world,  unlike  the  children  of  men,  would  ask  no 
higher  and  better  code.  But  can  we  regard  it  as  al- 
lowable, under  any  assignable  circumstances,  for  an 
angel  to  retaliate  upon  an  angel,  for  a seraph  to  exer- 
cise hostility  upon  a seraph,  for  one  of  these  holy  be- 
ings to  hold  in  his  own  hands  the  right  of  extinguish- 
ing the  life  of  another  ? What  sort  of  heaven  would 
that  be  which  should  be  characterized  by  the  admis- 
sion of  such  a principle  ? And  we  may  ask,  further, 
what  sort  of  a millennium  will  that  be  which  shall  be 
characterized,  either  practically  or  theoretically,  in 


178 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


the  same  way?  When  men  are  fully  restored  to  the 
favor  of  God,  whether  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  is  there 
to  be  one  code,  one  set  of  governmental  principles  for 
them,  and  another  for  other  holj  beings  ? Certainly 
not.  In  all  the  great  matters  of  right  and  duty, 
the  law  of  seraphs  is  the  law  of  angels,  and  the 
law  of  angels  is  the  law  of  men.  If  it  is  utterly 
and  absolutely  inconsistent  with  our  conceptions  of 
the  heavenly  world,  that  the  power  of  life  and  death 
should  be  taken  from  the  hands  of  Jehovah  and 
that  angels  and  seraphs  should  have  the  right  to 
extinguish  each  other’s  existence,  it  is  equally  diffi- 
cult to  conceive  of  such  a right  in  the  millennium. 
And  if  it  will  not  be  right  for  the  men  of  the  millen- 
ium  to  exercise  the  power  of  life  and  death  over  each 
other,  it  is  not  right  for  them  now.  We  have  the 
same  code  of  government  now  which  we  shall  have 
then;  we  have  the  New  Testament  now  and  we  shall 
have  it  then;  and  not  only  that,  we  shall  understand 
it  better  and  love  it  more.  Nothing  will  be  added  to 
it;  nothing  will  be  taken  from  it.  If  it  does  not  now 
consider  human  life  inviolable,  it  never  will ; if  it  does 
not  now  proscribe  all  wars  among  the  human  species, 
it  never  will;  the  right  of  taking  human  life,  if  it  ex- 
ists now  under  the  Christian  code,  will  exist  as  a 
legal  and  authorized  characteristic  (painful  and  even 
horrible  as  the  mere  thought  is)  of  the  pure,  blessed, 
and  angelic  state  of  the  millennium.  On  the  supposi- 
tion, therefore,  that  life  will  be  inviolable  in  the  mil- 
lennium, and  that  it  will  not  be  considered  right  for 
one  man  to  put  another  to  death  for  any  possible  rea- 
son, we  argue  that  it  is  not  right  now.  This  form  of 
reasoning  is  applicable  to  any  other  analogous  case 
whatever.  If  it  will  not  be  right  to  steal  in  the  milieu- 


CHRISTIAN  NON  RESISTANCE. 


179 


nium,  it  is  not  right  to  steal  now;  if  it  will  not  be 
right  to  be  intemperate  in  the  millennium,  it  is  not 
right  to  be  intemperate  now;  if  it  will  not  be  right  to 
hold  slaves  in  the  millennium,  it  is  not  right  to  hold 
slaves  now;  if  it  will  not -be  right  to  take  life  and 
carry  on  war  in  the  millennium,  it  is  not  right  to  take 
life  and  carry  on  war  now.  The  principles  which 
will  be  acknowledged  as  authoritative  in  the  millen- 
nium, are  the  very  principles  which  are  prescribed, 
and  are  binding  upon  us  at  the  present  moment.  No 
change  in  principles  is  required,  but  merely  a change 
in  practice.  If  the  practice  of  men  should  to  morrow 
be  conformed  to  the  principles  which  the  finger  of 
God  has  written  on  the  pages  of  the  New  Testament, 
then  to-morrow  would  behold  the  millennium. 

“We  delight  to  linger  upon  this  subject.  There  is 
a charm  in  the  millennial  name.  ‘Scribenti  manurn 
injicit , et  quamlibet  festinantem  in  se  morari  cogit.'1  The 
wing  of  poetry  flags  under  this  great  conception. 
Sometimes  we  see  it  under  the  type  of  a wilderness 
newly  clothed  with  bud  and  blossom;  sometimes  we 
see  it  under  the  type  of  a city  descending  from  heaven, 
prepared  as  a bride  adorned  for  her  husband;  some- 
times we  behold  it  as  a great  temple  arising  out  of 
the  earth, and  capacious  enough  to  contain  all  nations. 
This  temple  is  not  built  of  earthly  materials  that  will 
perish  with  the  using,  but  is  supported  on  immutable 
columns.  Every  great  moral  and  religious  principle 
is  a pillar  in  the  millennial  temple.  The  principle  of 
total  abstinence  from  intoxicating  liquor  is  one  pillar,- 
it  suddenly  arose,  fair  and  beautiful,  and  even  now  is 
enveloped  with  some  rays  of  millennial  glory;  the  doc- 
trine that  all  slaveholding  is  a sin  is  another  pillar, 
standing  firm,  awfully  grand  and  immoveable;  the 


180 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


doctrine  of  the  absolute  inviolability  of  human  life  is 
another — this  is  in  a state  of  preparation,  but  it  will 
soon  ascend  and  stand  brightly  and  majestically  in  its 
place;  and  thus  principle  after  principle  will  be  es- 
tablished, column  after  column  will  be  erected,  till 
the  spiritual  house  of  the  Lord  shall  be  established  in 
the  tops  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  expand  upon  the 
eye  of  the  beholder  far  more  beautiful  than  the  Par- 
thenon. And  what  then  will  be  wanting?  Only  that 
the  nations  in  the  language  of  prophecy,  shall  flow 
into  it ; only  that  the  people  should  occupy  it  and 
rejoice  in  it;  and  this  is  millennial  glory.  But, 
unless  you  have  firm,  unchangeable,  immutable  prin- 
ciples, it  will  be  like  a certain  house  that  was  built 
upon  the  sand;  ‘and  the  rain  descended  and  the  floods 
came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon  that  house; 
and  it  fell,  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it.’  ” 

OBJECTION  II.  EXTREMELY  DIFFICULT  IF  NOT  IM- 
POSSIBLE. 

‘ ‘The  practice  of  non-resistance,  if  not  impossible 
for  the  majority  of  Christians,  is  certainly  extremely 
difficult,  even  for  the  most  advanced.  It  seems  like 
overstraining  duty.  It  is  urging  on  men  so  much 
more  than  they  feel  able  to  perform,  that  multitudes 
will  faint  under  the  burden  and  abandon  Christianity 
altogether,  as  a system  wholly  beyond  their  reach. 
It  is  unwise  to  require  what  must  discourage  so  many 
thousands  from  attempting  anything  at  all,  as  avowed 
disciples  of  Christ.  ’ ’ 

Answer. — Who  is  to  be  the  judge  of  what  is  pos- 
sible ? God, or  man  ? Who  is  to  judge  what  and  hew 
much  shall  be  required  ! Jesus  Christ,  or  his  dis- 
ciples ? Are  we  to  set  at  nought  a duty  because  it 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


181 


seems  to  us  difficult  of  [performance  ! Are  we  to 
doubt  that  God’s  grace  is  sufficient  for  the  weakest  of 
his  trusting  children,  to  enable  them  to  perform  any 
duty  He  may  lay  upon  them!  Are  we  to  accommo- 
date divine  truth  and  duty  to  the  convenience  of  our 
fellow  men,  in  order  to  multiply  superficial  disciples  ? 
Are  we  to  pare  down  and  fritter  away  the  require- 
ments of  our  heavenly  Father,  for  fear  of  discourag- 
ing and  driving  off  half-hearted  professors  ? Who  is 
it  that  presumes  to  daub  with  such  untempered  mor- 
tar ! He  must  be  a most  dangerous  latitudinarian.  Is 
this  the  wav  in  which  Christ  and  his  apostles  built  up 
the  Church  amid  the  violence  of  a contemptuous  and 
persecuting  world  ? Would  it  be  any  great  misfor- 
tune to  Christianity,  if  nine-tenths  of  its  present  world- 
ly minded  professors,  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the 
non-resistance  doctrine,  should  honestly  declare  to 
the  world,  “Since  this  is  Christianity,  we  cannot  con- 
sistently profess  to  adhere  to  it,  as  its  cross  is  greater 
than  we  are  willing  to  bear  V ’ Would  not  the  world 
at  that  moment  be  nearer  its  conversion  than  now  ? 

But  why  need  we  hold  this  language  % God  reigns 
and  not  man.  He  declares  the  law  of  perfect  recti- 
tude through  his  Son.  That  Son  is  the  head  of  every 
man— the  Lord  and  Master  of  all  true  disciples.  He 
has  enjoined  the  practice  of  non-resistance  on  his  pro- 
fessed followers  as  their  indispensable  duty.  He  has 
promised  to  be  with  and  aid  them  to  the  end  of  the 
world.  If  so,  let  us  say  at  ouce  whether  we  believe  in 
Christ  or  not.  Whether  we  will  endeavor  to  follow 
him  and  keep  his  sayings  or  not.  Whether  we  will 
try  to  do  our  duty,  confiding  in  the  proffered  strength 
of  Heaven,  or  not.  If  we  will  be  Christian, let  us  try 
with  all  our  might  to  do  our  duty,  and  see  how  far  we 


182 


CHRISTIAN'  NON-RESISTANCE. 


shall  be  left  to  fall  short.  Let  men  earnestly  try  to 
carry  out  Christian  non-resistance  with  this  full  pur- 
pose of  heart,  and  though  they  may  experience  the 
pain  of  the  cross  sometimes,  they  will  soon  rejoice  in 
a crown  of  triumph.  It  is  difficult  always  to  do 
right  in  this,  as  it  is  in  respect  to  other  departments 
of  duty;  and  no  more  so.  There  is  no  virtue  which 
does  not  involve  some  painful  and  almost  overwhelm- 
ing trials.  If  we  were  to  cast  off  all  obligations  that 
ever  required  the  hazard  of  mortal  life,  we  should  re- 
ject every  single  commandment  of  the  living  God. 
For  there  is  not  one  that  has  not  had  its  martyrs,  and 
also  its  apostates  under  great  temptation.  But  to  the 
faithful  how  blessed  is  even  death  itself — if  duty 
obliges  the  sacrfi.ee "!  And  to  the  obedient,  the  will- 
ingly cross-bearing,  how  true  is  it  that  Christ’s  ‘ ‘yoke 
is  easy  and  his  burden  light !”  It  is  only  for  us  to  re- 
solve that  we  will  try.  All  things  are  then  found 
possible,  if  they  are  right. 

And  what  is  there  so  discouraging  to  the  humble 
and  upright  soul  ? Did  not  Jesus  live  and  die  the 
glorious  exemplar  of  his  own  non-resistant  precepts  f 
Did  not  his  apostles  ? Did  not  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians for  more  than  two  centuries  ? Have  I not 
brought  up  a host  of  witnesses,  practically  illustrat- 
ing that  under  the  most  adverse  circumstances  it  was 
generally  even  safer  to  carry  out  non  resistance  prin- 
ciples than  their  opposite?  Behold  robbers  looked 
out  of  countenance  and  actually  converted;  ferocious 
banditti  rendered  harmless;  wild  savages  inspired 
with  permanent  kindness;  and  all  manner  of  evil  over  - 
come with  good  ! Am  I to  be  asked  after  all  this — - 
“ What  would  you  do  if  a robber  should  attack  you  ? 
If  an  assassin  should  threaten  your  life  ? If  a mob 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


183 


should  break  forth  upon  you  ? If  a tribe  of  savages 
should  beset  your  dwelling?  If  a foreign  army  should 
come  against  your  land  ? If  lawless  soldiers  should 
deal  death  and  rapine  about  your  neighborhood!” 
"What  would  I do  ? If  I did  right — if  I acted  the 
Christian  part — the  wise  and  noble  part,  I should  ad- 
here to  my  non-resistance  principles,  and  ten  to  one 
experience  the  most  signal  deliverance  and  achieve 
the  most  glorious  of  all  victories,  in  the  conrpiest  of 
my  own  passions  and  those  of  my  assailants  ! 

HOLLOWNESS  OF  THE  OBJECTION. 

But  the  extreme  hollowness  of  rhe  objection  before 
us  becomes  at  once  obvious,  when  I turn  the  tables 
and  demand  whether  the  practice  of  injurious  resis- 
tance offers  immunity  from  extreme  trial,  danger, 
hardship  and  suffering  ? How  happens  it  that  human 
beings  enough  to  people  from  eighteen  to  forty  such 
globes  as  ours  have  perished  in  war  ! How  happens 
it  that  blood  enough  has  been  shed  by  the  sword  to 
fill  a harbor  that  would  embosom  at  quiet  anchor  the 
combined  navies  of  the  world  ? Do  these  tremendous 
facts  indicate  that  resistance  is  sustained  without 
hardships,  distresses  and  mortal  agony  ? Let  us  con- 
template the  scenes  of  a single  battle. 

PASSAGE  OF  THE  TRAUN. 

“In  1S09,  in  the  campaign  of  Aspern  and  Wag- 
ram,  Hassena  added  to  his  former  renown,  and  was 
one  of  the  firm  props  of  Fapoleoms  empire  on  those 
fiercely  fought  battle-fields.  Previous  to  the  battle  of 
Aspern,  after  the  battle  of  Eckmuhl,  while  Bonaparte 
was  on  the  march  for  Vienna,  chasing  the  Archduke 
before  him,  Masseua  had  command  of  the  advance 
guard.  Following  hard  after  the  retreating  army  of 


184 


CHRISTIAN  NON- RESISTANCE. 


the  Archduke,  as  he  had  done  before  in  Italy,  he  came 
at  length  to  the  river  Trauu,  at  Ebersberg,  or  Ebers- 
dorf,  a small  village  on  its  banks  just  above  where  it 
falls  into  the  Danube.  Here,  for  a while,  an  effectual 
stop  seemed  put  to  his  victorious  career;  for  this 
stream,  opposite  Ebersberg,  was  crossed  by  a single 
long,  narrow,  wooden  bridge.  From  shore  to  shore, 
across  the  sand-banks,  islands  &c.,  it  was  nearly  half 
a mile,  and  a single  narrow  causeway  traversed  the 
entire  distance  to  the  bridge,  which  itself  was  about 
sixty  rods  long.  Over  this  half  mile  of  narrow  path 
the  whole  army  was  to  pass  and  the  columns  to  charge; 
for  the  impetuous  torrent  could  not  be  forded.  But  a 
gate  closed  the  further  end  of  the  bridge,  while  the 
houses  filled  with  soldiers  enfiladed  the  entire  open- 
ing, and  the  artillery  planted  on  the  heights  over  it 
commanded  every  inch  of  the  narrow  way.  The  high 
rolling  ground  aloug  the  river  was  black  with  the 
masses  ef  infantry,  sustained  by  terrific  batteries  of 
cannon,  all  turned  on  that  devoted  bridge,  apparently 
enough  in  themselves  to  tear  it  in  fragments.  To 
crown  the  whole,  an  old  castle  frowned  over  the 
stream,  on  whose  crumbling  battlements  cannon  were 
so  planted  as  to  command  the  bridge.  As  if  this  were 
not  enough  to  deter  any  man  from  attempting  the  pas- 
sage, another  row  of  heights,  over  which  the  road 
passed,  rose  behind  the  first,  covered  with  pine  trees, 
affording  a strong  position  for  the  enemy  to  retire  to 
if  driven  from  their  first.  Thus  defended,  thirty-five 
thousand  men,  supported  by  eighty  cannon,  -waited  to 
see  if  the  French  would  attempt  to  pass  the  bridge. 
Even  the  genius  of  Massena  might  have  been  stag- 
gered at  the  spectacle  before  him.  It  seemed  like 
marching  his  army  into  the  mouth  of  the  volcano  to 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


185 


advance  on  the  awful  batteries  that  commanded  that 
long,  narrow  bridge.  It  was  not  like  a sudden  charge 
over  a short  causeway;  but  a steady  march  along  a 
narrow  defile  through  a perfect  tempest  of  balls.  But 
this  was  the  key  to  Vienna,  and  the  Marshall  resolved 
to  make  the  attempt — hoping  that  Lanues,  who  was 
to  cross  some  distance  further  up,  would  aid  him  by 
a movement  on  the  enemy’s  flank.  The  Austrians 
had  foolishly  left  four  battalions  on  the  side  from 
which  the  French  approached.  The.se  were  first  at- 
tacked, and  being  driven  from  their  positions,  were 
forced  along  the  causeway  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
and  on  the  bridge  followed  by  the  pursuing  French. 
But  the  moment  the  French  column  touched  the 
bridge,  those  hitherto  silent  batteries  opened  their 
dreadful  fiie  on  its  head.  It  sank  like  a sand  bank 
that  caves  under  the  torrent.  To  advance  seemed 
impossible;  but  the  heroic  Cohorn,  flinging  himself  in 
front,  cheered  them  on,  and  they  returned  to  the 
charge,  driving  like  an  impetous  torrent  over  the 
bridge. 

‘‘Amid  the  confusion  and  chaos  of  the  fight  be- 
tween these  flying  battalions  and  their  pursuers,  the 
Austrians  on  the  shore  saw  the  French  colors  flying, 
and  fearing  the  irruption  of  the  enemy  with  their 
friends,  closed  the  gate  and  poured  their  tempest  of 
cannon  balls  on  friend  and  foe  alike.  The  carnage 
then  became  awful.  Smitten  in  front  by  the  deadly 
fire  of  their  friends,  and  pressed  behind  with  the  bay- 
onets of  their  foes,  those  battalions  threw  themselves 
into  the  torrent  below,  or  were  trampelled  under  foot 
by  the  steadily  advancing  column.  Amid  the  explo- 
sion of  ammunition  wagons  in  the  midst,  blowing  men 
into  the  air,  and  the  crashing  fire  of  the  enemy’s  can- 


186 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


non.  the  French  beat  clown  the  gate  and  palisades  and 
rushed  with  headlong  speed  into  the  streets  and  vil- 
lage. But  here,  met  by  fresh  battalions  in  front,  and 
swept  by  a destructive  cross-fire  from  the  houses, 
while  the  old  castle  hurled  its  storm  of  lead  on  their 
heads,  these  brave  soldiers  were  compelled  to  retire, 
leaving  two -thirds  of  their  number  stretched  ou  the 
pavement.  But  Masseua  ordered  up  fresh  battalions, 
which,  marching  through  the  tempest  that  swept  the 
bridge,  joined  their  companions,  and  regaining  the 
village,  stormed  the  castle  itself.  Along  the  narrow 
lanes  that  led  to  it  the  dead  lay  in  swaths,  and  no 
sooner  did  the  mangled  head  of  the  column  reach  the 
castle  walls,  than  it  disappeared  before  the  dreadful 
fire  from  the  battlements  as  if  it  sunk  into  the  earth. 
Strengthened  by  a new  reinforcement,  the  dauntless 
French  returned  to  the  assault,  and  battering  down 
the  doors,  compelled  the  garrison  to  surrender.  The 
Austrian  army,  however,  made  good  their  position  on 
the  pine-covered  ridge  behind  the  village,  and  dis- 
puted every  inch  of  ground  with  the  most  stubborn 
resolution.  The  French  cavalry,  now  across,  came  on 
a plunging  gallop  through  the  streets  of  the  village, 
trampling  on  the  dead  and  dying,  and  amid  the  flames 
of  the  burning  houses,  and  through  the  smoke  that 
rolled  over  their  pathway,  hurried  on  with  exulting 
shouts  and  rattling  armour  to  the  charge.  Still  the 
Austrians  held  out,  till  threatened  with  a flank  attack 
they  were  compelled  to  retreat. 

‘ ‘ There  was  not  a more  desperate  passage  in  the 
whole  war  than  this.  Massena  was  compelled  to 
throw  his  brave  soldiers,  whether  dead  or  wounded, 
into  the  stream,  to  clear  a passage  for  the  columns. 
Whole  companies  falling  at  a time,  they  choked  up 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


187 


the  way  and  increased  the  obstacles  to  be  overcome. 
These  must  be  sacrificed  or  the  whole  shattered  col- 
umn that  was  maintaining  their  desperate  position  on 
the  farther  side  be  annihilated.  It  was  an  awful 
spectacle  to  see  the  advancing  soldiers,  amid  the  most 
destructive  fire,  themselves  pitch  their  wounded  com- 
rades, while  calling  out  most  piteously  to  be  spared, 
by  scores  and  hundreds  into  the  torrent.  Le  Grand 
fought  nobly  that  day.  Amid  the  choked- up  defile 
and  deadly  fire  of  the  batteries,  he  fearlessly  pressed 
on,  and  in  answer  to  the  advice  of  his  superior  officer, 
deigned  only  the  stern  reply,  1 Eoom  for  the  head  of 
my  columns— none  of  your  advice;’  and  rushed  up  to 
the  very  walls  of  the  castle.  The  nature  of  the  con- 
test, and  the  narrow  bridge  and  streets  in  which  it 
raged,  gave  to  the  field  of  battle  the  most  horrid  as- 
pect. The  dead  lay  in  heaps  and  ridges,  piled  one 
across  the  other,  mangled  and  torn  in  the  most  dread- 
ful manner  by  the  hoofs  of  the  cavalry  and  the  wheels 
of  the  artillery  which  were  compelled  to  pass  over 
them.  Twelve  thousand  men  thus  lay  heaped, 
packed  and  trampled  together,  while  across  them  were 
stretched  burning  rafters  and  timbers  which  wrung 
still  more  terrible  cries  and  shrieks  from  the  dying- 
mass.  Even  Bonaparte,  when  he  arrived,  shuddered 
at  the  appalling  sight  and  turned  with  horror  from 
the  scene.  The  streets  were  one  mass  of  mangled, 
bleeding,  trampled  men,  overlaid  with  burning  ruins.  ” 
— American  Review. 

Such  was  one  of  the  world’s  ten  thousand  bloody 
conflicts.  Suppose  all  the  courage  and  endurance 
displayed  on  this  horrible  occasion  could  be  brought 
into  the  service  of  peace  and  non  resistance  ! Should 
we  hear  any  more  of  the  extreme  difficulty,  if  not  im- 


188 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


possibility,  of  carrying  out  the  doctrine?  Suppose 
these  soldiers  to  have  been  devoted  Christian  non-re- 
sistants, scattered  over  the  whole  earth;  and  suppose 
them  exposed  to  all  the  robberies,  assaults  and  bat- 
teries, abuses,  injuries  and  insults  by  any  means 
likely  to  fall  to  their  lot;  and  then,  let  our  objector 
tells  us  how  much  harder  their  service  would  be,  in 
the  army  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  than  that  of  the 
Prince  of  murderers  ! The  truth  is,  men  can  endure 
almost  any  thing  they  choose.  What  they  have  en- 
dured as  the  servants  of  sin  is  a proof  of  what  they 
are  capable  of  enduring  for  righteousness’  sake.  The 
latter  service  requires  not  a thousandth  part  of  the 
physical  and  mental  suffering  of  the  former.  How 
flimsy  then  is  the  objection  we  are  considering  ! Let 
it  never  be  repeated  by  any  man  calling  himself  a 
Christian.  A true  heart,  a sound  principle  of  action 
and  a conscientious  will,  can  never  find  Christian, 
non-resistance  either  an  unattainable  or  an  unsupport - 
able  virtue. 

OBJECTION  III. — MORE  DIFFICULT  IN  SMALL  THAN 
LARGE  MATTERS. 

“ The  practice  of  non-resistance  is  more  difficult  in 
small  than  large  matters.  It  is  not  in  abstaining  from 
war  and  battle,  or  in  enduring  great  and  notorious  in- 
juries with  forbearance,  that  non-resistance  imposes 
the  heaviest  burdens.  Men  gather  strength  in  such 
cases  from  the  consciousness  of  public  admiration  and 
sympathy, — and  even  from  the  magnitude  of  the  con- 
flict and  the  conseqiient  glory  of  a triumph.  Extra- 
ordinary events  and  occasions  inspire  an  extraordin- 
ary enthusiasm,  power  and  firmness  of  purpose.  But 
in  every-day  life,  where  people  pass  through  a thous- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


189 


and,  trials,  consuming  to  the  vital  spirits  of  their  be- 
ing, unnoticed,  unsympathized  with,  unpitied  and  un- 
cared for,  it  is  by  no  means  so  easy  to  endure  the 
mean,  vexatious  aggressions,  wrongs  and  insults  of 
petty  injurers.  But  your  doctrine  obliges  the  abused 
wife  of  a brutal  husband,  and  the  insulted  and  smitten 
victim  of  insolent  scoundrelism,  to  refrain  from  de- 
fensive violence,  and  even  from  prosecutions  at  law, 
at  least  under  the  existing  type  of  human  govern- 
ment. It  does  not  appear  that  you  would  allow  even 
a mob  to  be  repelled  with  military  force,  or  so  much 
as  a demand  to  be  made  on  the  government  for  the 
protection  of  one’s  property,  family  or  life.  It  is  this 
extreme  and  intolerable  nicety  of  your  doctrine  to 
which  I object,  as  much  as  to  anything  about  it.” 

ANSWER. 

There  is  truth  in  the  assertion  that  a practical  ex- 
emplification of  non-resistance  in  the  small  matters  of 
every-day  life,  is  more  difficult  than  in  great  matters 
on  extraordinary  occasions.  And  is  not  this  true  of 
all  the  great  virtues  enjoined  in  Law  or  Gospel  ? It 
may  be  easier  to  eschew  idolatry,  adultery,  fornica- 
tion, murder,  robbery,  theft,  falsehood,  covetousness, 
&c.,  in  the  open  gaze  of  public  scrutiny  and  public 
opinion,  even  under  the  mightiest  temptation,  than 
in  private  unobserved  life.  It  may  be  easier  to  suffer 
the  martyrdom  of  death  before  a gaping  and  amazed, 
perhaps  admiring,  multitude,  than  the  petty  mar- 
tyrdom of  a taunt,  a kick,  a cuff,  or  a wrung  nose,  of 
which  the  multitude  know  nothing  and  for  which  they 
might  care  as  little.  Be  it  so.  Does  this  change 
principle  or  abrogate  duty  ? What  is  right  ? What 
ought  we  all  to  do  in  small  as  well  as  large  matters  ? 


190 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


These  are  the  questions  to  settle.  Not  what  may 
chance  to  he  most  convenient,  or  easy,  or  comfortable, 
or  self-indulgent  under  momentary  temptations.  We 
have  already  settled  them,  so  far  as  respects  the  duty 
never  to  resist  injury  with  injury.  Is  indulgence 
asked  for  the  commission  of  daily  violations  of  this 
duty,  or  occasional  violations  of  it  iu  what  are  called 
small  matters?  Go  demand  indulgence  to  commit 
violations  of  the  ten  commandments  in  small  matters. 
Plead  how  difficult  it  is  in  every-day  life  not  to  lie  a 
little,  deceive  a little,  defraud  a little,  extort  a little, 
hate  your  neighbor  a little,  steal  a little,  be  murder- 
ous a little,  idolatrous  a little  and  lascivious  a little. 
Get  your  indulgence  from  Heaven  for  all  this,  and 
then  doubtless  an  indulgence  will  not  be  withheld  to 
resist  injury  with  injury  a little,  and  to  render  evil 
for  evil  a little,  in  ordinary  matters.  Till  then,  the 
law  and  standard  of  righteousness  must  not  be  relaxed 
to  suit  human  convenience.  Duty  must  be  insisted 
on  without  abatement,  and  whoever  exhibits  weak- 
ness, imperfection,  frailty  or  sin,  must  bear  the 
shame  and  condemnation. 

It  is  in  these  small  matters  that  every  virtue  suf- 
fers its  greatest  betrayal.  A continual  dropping 
wears  the  hardest  stone.  A continual  unscrupulous- 
ness in  little  things  undermines  all  moral  principle. 
The  ocean  is  made  up  of  drops.  Righteousness  is  an 
aggregate  of  the  littles  of  life.  He  that  is  faithless 
habitually  in  small  matters  is  not  to  be  depended  on 
in  great  matters.  He  may,  or  may  not  do  right.  A 
principal  reason  why  public  institutions,  laws  and 
measures  are  so  repugnant  to  justice  and  humanity  is 
that  the  individual  conscieuces  of  the  people,  in  the 
small  matters  of  ordinary  life,  are  habitually  un- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


191 


scrupulous.  If,  then,  non- resistance  is  to  be  insisted 
on  at  all,  as  a duty,  it  is  to  be  insisted  on  in  small 
matters  as  well  as  large. 

And  after  all  that  may  be  said  of  the  difficulty  of 
practising  it,  we  know  that  it  has  been  and  can  be 
practised.  Nothing  is  wanting  but  the  will  to  try.  I 
will  add  to  the  numerous  illustrations  already  given, 
a few  others  relating  chiefly  to  individual  affairs  and 
the  so-called  small  matters  of  life 

THE  PROFANE  SWEARER  REPROVED  AND  SUBDUED. 

Mr.  Deering,  a Puritan  minister,  being  once  at  a 
public  dinner,  a gallant  young  man  sat  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  table,  who,  besides  other  vain  dis- 
course, broke  out  in  profane  swearing,  for  which  Mr. 
Deering  gravely  and  sharply  reproved  him.  The 
young  man,  taking  this  as  an  affront,  immediately 
threw  a glass  of  beer  in  his  face.  Mr.  Deering  took 
no  notice  of  the  insult  ; but  wiped  his  face  and  con- 
tinued eating  as  before.  The  young  gentleman  pres- 
ently renewed  his  profane  conversation,  and  Mr. 
Deering  reproved  him  as  before, — upon  which,  but 
with  more  rage  and  violence,  he  flung  another  glass 
of  beer  in  his  face.  Mr.  Deering  continued  unmoved, 
still  showing  his  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  by  bearing 
the  insult  with  Christian  meekness  and  humble 
silence.  This  so  astonished  the  young  gentleman  that 
he  rose  from  the  table,  fell  on  his  knees,  and  asked 
Mr.  Deering’ s pardon  ; and  declared,  that  if  any  of 
the  company  offered  him  similar  insults,  he  would 
stab  them  with  his  sword.  Here  was  practically  veri- 
fied the  New  Testament  maxim  : “Be  not  overcome  of 
evil  but  overcome  evil  with  good.” — Bom.  12  : 21. — 
Anonymous. 


192 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  SLAVE  AND  HIS  ENEMY. 

The  following  was  first  published  in  the  London 
Christian  Observer: — 

A slave  in  one  of  the  West  Indies,  who  had  origi- 
nally come  from  Africa,  having  been  brought  uuder 
the  influence  of  religious  instruction,  became  singu- 
larly valuable  to  his  owner,  on  account  of  his  integ- 
rity and  general  good  conduct.  After  some  time  his 
master  raised  him  to  a situation  of  some  consequence 
in  the  management  of  his  estate:  and  on  one  occasion, 
wishing  to  purchase  twenty  additional  slaves,  em- 
ployed him  to  make  the  selection,  giving  him  in- 
struction to  choose  those  who  were  strong  and  likely 
to  make  good  workmen.  The  man  went  to  the  slave 
market  and  commenced  his  scrutiny.  He  had  not 
long  surveyed  the  multitude  offered  for  sale,  before 
he  fixed  his  eye  upon  an  old  decrepit  slave,  and  told 
his  master  that  he  must  be  one.  The  poor  fellow 
begged  that  he  might  be  indulged  ; when  the  dealer 
remarked,  that  if  they  were  about  to  buy  twenty,  he 
would  give  them  that  man  in  the  bargain.  The  pur- 
chase was  accordingly  made  and  the  slaves  were  con- 
ducted to  the  plantation  of  their  master ; but  upon 
none  did  the  selecter  show  half  the  attention  and  care 
that  he  did  upon  the  poor  old  decrepit  African.  He 
took  him  to  his  own  habitation  and  laid  him  upon 
his  own  bed  ; he  fed  him  at  his  own  table  and  gave 
him  drink  out  of  his  own  cup  ; when  he  was  cold,  he 
carried  him  into  the  sunshine  ; and  when  he  was  hot, 
he  placed  him  under  the  shade  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree. 
Astonished  at  the  attention  this  confidential  slave  be 
stowed  upon  a fellow-slave,  his  master  interrogated 
him  upon  the  subject.  He  said,  “You  could  not  take 
so  much  interest  in  the  old  man  but  for  some  special 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


193 


reason:  he  is  a relation  of  yours;  perhaps  your  lather'?” 
“No,  massa,”  answered  the  poor  fellow,  “he  no  my- 
fader.”  “He  is  then  an  elder  brother?”  “No,  massa, 
he’uo  my  broder  !”  “Then  he  is  an  uncle,  or  some 
other  relation?”  “No,  massa,  he  no  be  my  kindred 
at  all,  nor  even  my  friend  !”  “Then,”  asked  thq, 
master,  “'on  what  account  does  he  excite  your  in- 
terest?” “He  my  enemy,  massa,”  replied  the  slave; 
“he  sold  me  to  the  slave  dealer  ; and  my  Bible  tell 
me,  when  my  enemy  hunger,  feed  him,  and  when  he 
thrist,  give  him  drink.” 

HOW  TO  OVERCOME  EVIL. 

“I  once  had  a neighbor,  who,  though  a clever  man, 
came  to  me  one  hay  day,  and  said,  ‘Esquire  White,  I 
want  you  to  come  and  get  your  geese  away.’  ‘Why,’ 
said  I,  -what  are  my  geese  doing?’  ‘They  pick  my 
pigs’ears  when  they  are  eating,  and  drive  them  away, 
and  I will  not  have  it.’  ‘What  can  I do?’  I said. 
‘You  must  yoke  them.’  ‘That  I have  not  time  to  do 
now,’  said  I,  ‘I  do  not  see  but  they  must  run.’  ‘If 
you  do  not  take  care  of  them,  I shall,’  said  the  clever 
shoemaker  in  anger.  ‘What  do  you  say,  Esq.  W'hite?’ 
‘I  cannot  take  care  of  them  now,  but  I will  pay  you 
for  all  damages.’  ‘Well,’  said  he,  ‘you  will  find  that 
a hard  thing,  I guess  ’ 

“So  off  he  went  and  I heard  a terrible  squalling 
among  the  geese.  The  next  news  from  the  geese  was,, 
that  three  of  them  were  missing.  My  children  went 
and  found  them  terribly  mangled  and  dead  and 
thrown  into  the  bushes. 

‘Now,’  said  I,  ‘all  keep  still  and  let  me  punish: 
him.  ’ In  a few  days,  the  shoemaker’s  hogs  broke  in- 
to my  corn.  I saw  them  but  let  them  remain  a long 


194 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


time.  At  last  I ck-ove  them  all  out,  and  picked  up 
the  corn  which  they  had  torn  down,  and  fed  them 
with  it  in  the  road.  By  this  time  the  shoemaker  came 
in  great  haste  after  them. 

‘ Have  you  seen  any  thing  of  my  hogs?’  said  he. 
,JYes,  sir,  you  will  find  them  yonder,  eating  some  corn 
which  they  tore  down  in  my  field.  ’ ‘ In  your  field?’ 

'Yes  sir,  ’ said  I,  ‘hogs  love  corn,  you  know — they 
were  made  to  eat.  ’ ‘ How  much  mischief  have  they 

done  ? ’ ‘O,  not  much,  ’ said  I. 

‘■“Well,  off  he  went  to  look,  and  estimated  the  dam- 
age to  be  equal  to  a bushel  and  a half  of  corn. 

'Oh,  no,  ’ said  I,  ‘it  can’t  be.’  ‘Yes,’  said  the 
, shoemaker,’  ‘ and  I will  pay  you  every  cent  of  dam- 
age.’ ‘Yo,’  replied  I,  ‘you  shall  pay  me  nothing. 
My  geese  have  been  a great  trouble  to  you.’ 

The  shoemaker  blushed,  and  went  home.  The  next 
winter,  when  we  came  to  settle,  the  shoemaker  deter- 
mined to  pay  me  for  my  corn.  ‘Yo,’  said  I,  ‘I  shall 
take  nothing.’ 

After  some  talk,  we  parted;  but  in  a day  or  two,  I 
met  him  in  the  road,  and  fell  into  conversation  in  the 
most  friendly  manner.  But  when  1 started  on  he 
seemed  loath  to  move,  and  I paused.  For  a moment 
both  of  us  were  silent.  At  last  he  said,  ‘I  have  some- 
thing laboring  on  my  mind.’  ‘ Well,  what  is  it?’ 
‘Those  geese.  I killed  three  of  your  geese  and  shall 
jnever  rest  until  you  know  how  I feel.  I am  sorry.  ’ 
And  the  tears  came  in  his  eyes.  ‘Oh  well,’ said  I, 
'never  mind,  I suppose  my  geese  were  provoking.’ 

I never  took  any  thing  of  him  for  it;  but  whenever 
my  cattle  broke  into  his  field  after  this,  he  seemed 
^lad — because  he  could  show  how  patient  he  could  be. 

‘Yow,’  said  the  narrator,  ‘conquer  yourself,  and 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


195 


you  cau  conquer  with  kindness  where  you  can  con- 
quer in  no  other  way.’  ” — Anonymous. 

HENRY  C.  WRIGHT  AND  HIS  ASSAILANT. 

The  following  incident  in  the  life  of  Henry  C. 
Wright  shows  his  admirable  consistency  and  the  salu- 
tary influence  of  non- resistance  on  the  offender.  He 
was  in  a hotel  in  Philadelphia,  and  there  engaged  in 
a conversation  on  non-resistance.  An  officer  present 
became  enraged  and  struck  him.  Mr.  Wright  took  uo 
notice  of  the  assault  but  proceeded  with  his  remarks. 
In  a few  moments  the  officer  struck  him  again. 
Friend  Wright  still  preserved  his  equanimity  and 
continued  the  conversation.  His  assailant  struck  him 
a third  time  and  nearly  knocked  him  down.  He  re- 
covered himself,  and  though  much  injured  by  the 
blows  of  his  opponent,  took  him  by  the  hand  and 
said,  “I  feel  no  unkindness  towards  you  and  hope 
soon  to  see  you  at  my  house.”  He  then  left  the  com. 
pany  and  returned  home.  Mr.  Wright  saw  his  as- 
sailant much  sooner  than  he  expected,  for  he  was 
called  up  at  dawn  next  morning,  by  the  very  man 
who  had  struck  him  the  previous  evening.  He  ex- 
claimed, as  he  entered  the  house,  “can  you  forgive 
me!  I have  been  in  agony  all  night.  I thought  you 
would  strike  again  or  I never  should  have  struck 
you.”  “He  that  is  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  the 
mighty;  and  he  that  ruleth  his  spirit  than  he  that 
taketh  a city.” 

“He  that,  unshrinking  and  without  a groan 

Bears  the  first  wound,  may  finish  all  the  war 

With  mere  courageous  silence,  and  come  off  Conqueror.’’ 

— Watts. 


— McCree. 


196 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


THE  VICTORIOUS  LITTLE  BOY. 

I liatl  the  following  anecdote  from  a gentleman  of 
veracity.  A little  boy  in  Connecticut,  of  remarkably 
serious  mind  and  habits,  was  ordinarily  employed 
about  a mechanic’s  shop  where  nearly  all  the  hands 
were  addicted  to  the  common  use  of  intoxicating 
liquors.  The  lad  had  imbibed  temperance  principles, 
and  though  often  invited  could  never  be  induced  to 
partake  with  any  of  the  shop’s  crew.  At  length  his 
teacher  in  the  Sunday  School,  in  conversation  on  cer- 
tain non-resistant  texts  of  scripture,  had  awakened 
his  mind  to  that  subject,  and  he  very  conscientiously 
avowed  his  determination  to  try  to  live  in  accordance 
with  this  great  Christian  doctrine.  Three  or  four  of 
the  harder  drinkers  in  the  shop,  somewhat  piqued  at 
such  precocious  piety  and  scrupulousness  of  con- 
science, resolved  to  humble  the  lad,  or  at  least  put 
his  new  notions  to  the  test.  They  resolved  to  force  a 
dram  of  rum  down  his  throat  by  some  means.  Seiz- 
ing an  opportunity  when  he  was  left  alone  in  the  shop 
with  themselves,  they  invited  him  to  drink.  He  re- 
fused. They  then  told  him  they  should  compel  him. 
He  remained  calm  and  unmoved.  They  threatened 
him  with  violence.  Still  he  neither  seemed  angry 
nor  attempted  to  escape  nor  evinced  the  least  disposi- 
tion to  yield;  but  insisted  that  it  was  wicked  and  he 
could  not  do  it.  They  then  laid  hold  of  him,  a man 
at  each  arm,  while  the  third  held  the  bottle  ready  to 
force  it  into  his  month.  Still  their  victim  remained 
meek  and  firm,  declaring  that  he  had  never  injured 
them  and  never  should,  but  that  God  would  be  his 
friend  and  protector,  however  they  might  abuse  him. 
The  man  who  held  the  fatal  bottle,  up  to  that  mo- 
ment resolute  in  his  evil  purpose,  was  so  struck  by 


CHRISTIAN  NON  RESISTANCE. 


197 


the  non-resisting  dignity  and  innocence  of  the  lad, 
that,  as  he  afterwards  confessed  almost  with  tears,  he 
actually  felt  unable  to  raise  his  hand.  Twice  he  es- 
sayed to  lift  the  bottle,  as  he  placed  the  nose  of  it  in 
the  child’s  mouth,  but  his  arm  refused  to  serve  him. 
Not  the  least  resistance  was  made  in  this  stage  of  the 
proceeding  otherwise  than  by  a meek  protesting  look; 
yet  the  ringleader  himself  was  overcome  in  his  feel- 
ings and  gave  over  the  attempt,  declaring  that  he 
could  not  and  would  not  injure  such  an  innocent,  con- 
scientious, good  hearted  boy.  Such  is  moral  power. 
Such  is  the  strength  by  which  evil  may,  sometimes  at 
least,  be  overcome  with  good. 

COLONY  OF  PRACTICAL  CHRISTIANS. 

The  following  is  another  extract  from  the  writings 
of  Lydia  M.  Child.  It  needs  no  commendation.  It 
will  speak  to  the  better  feelings  of  the  soul  and  leave 
its  sweet  odor  there. 

“The  highest  gifts  my  soul  has  received  during  its 
world  pilgrimage,  have  often  been  bestowed  by  those 
who  were  poor,  both  in  money  and  intellectual  culti- 
vation. Among  these  donors,  I particularly  remem* 
ber  a hard  working,  uneducated  mechanic,  from  In- 
diana or  Illinois.  He  told  me  he  was  one  of  thirty  or 
forty  New  Englanders,  who,  twelve  years  before,  had 
gone  out  to  settle  in  the  western  wilderness.  They 
were  mostly  neighbors,  and  had  been  drawn  to  unite 
together  in  emigration  from  a general  unity  of  opinion 
on  various  subjects.  For  some  years  previous,  they 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  meeting  occasionally  at  each 
others’  houses,  to  talk  over  their  duties  to  God  and 
man,  in  all  simplicity  of  heart.  Their  library  was  the 
Gospel,  their  priesthood  the  inward  light.  There 


198 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


were  then  no  auti -slavery  societies;  but  thus  taught 
and  reverently  willing  to  learn,  they  had  no  need  of 
such  agency  to  discover  their  duties  to  the  enslaved. 
The  efforts  of  peace  societies  had  reached  this  secluded 
band  only  in  broken  echoes;  and  non  resistance  so- 
cieties had  no  existence.  But  with  the  volume  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace  and  hearts  open  to  his  influence 
what  need  had  they  of  preambles  and  resolutions  1 

“Rich  in  God-culture,  this  little  band  started  for 
the  far  West.  Their  inward  homes  were  blooming 
gardens;  they  made  their  outward  ones  in  a wilder- 
ness. They  were  industrious  and  frugal,  and  all 
things  prospered  under  theii  hands.  But  soon  wolves 
came  near  the  fold  in  the  shape  of  reckless,  unprin- 
cipled adventurers;  believers  in  force  and  cunning, 
who  acted  according  to  their  creed.  The  colony  of 
practical  Christians  spoke  of  their  depredations  in 
terms  of  gentlest  remonstrance  and  repaid  them  with 
unvarying  kindness.  They  went  farther — they  openly 
announced,  You  may  do  us  what  evil  you  choose;  we 
will  1 eturn  nothing  but  good.  Lawyers  came  into 
the  neighborhood  and  offered  their  services  to  settle 
disputes.  They  answered,  ‘ We  have  no  need  of  you. 
As  neighbors,  we  receive  you  in  the  most  friendly 
spirit;  but  for  us  your  occupation  has  ceased  to  exist.’ 
\\  hat  will  you  do,  if  rascals  burn  your  barns  and 
steal  your  harvests  ? ’ ‘ We  will  return  good  for  evil. 

We  believe  this  is  the  highest  truth,  and  therefore 
the  best  expediency.  ’ 

“ When  the  rascals  heard  this,  they  considered  it  a 
marvellous  good  joke,  and  said  and  did  many  provok- 
ing things,  which  to  them  seemed  witty.  Bars  were 
taken  down  in  the  night  and  cows  let  into  the  corn- 
fields. The  Christians  repaired  the  damage  as  well  as 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


199 


they  could,  put  the  cows  in  the  barn,  and  at  twilight 
drove  them  gently  home;  saying,  ‘Neighbor,  your 
cows  have  been  iu  my  field.  I have  fed  them  well 
during  the  day,  but  I would  not  keep  them  all  night 
lest  the  children  should  suffer  for  their  milk.  ’ 

“If  this  was  fun,  those  who  planned  the  joke  found 
no  heart  to  laugh  at  it.  By  degrees,  a visible  change 
came  over  these  troublesome  neighbors.  They  ceasecl 
to  cut  off  horses’  tails  and  break  the  legs  of  poultry- 
Bude  boys  would  say  to  a younger  brother,  ‘ Don’t 
throw  that  stone,  Bill  ! When  I killed  the  chicken 
last  week,  didn’t  they  lend  it  to  mother,  because  they 
thought  chicken -broth  would  be  good  for  poor  Mary  I 
I should  think  you’d  be  ashamed  to  throw  stones  at 
their  chickens.  ’ Thus  was  evil  overcome  with  good; 
till  not  one  was  found  to  do  them  wilful  injury. 

“Years  passed  on,  and  saw  them  thriving  ih- 
worldly  substance  beyond  their  neighbors,  jet  be- 
loved by  all.  From  them  the  lawyer  aud  the  con- 
stable obtained  no  fees.  The  sheriff  stammered  and 
apologized  when  he  took  their  hard  earned  goods  in 
payment  for  the  war-tax.  They  mildly  replied,  ‘’Tis 
a bad  trade,  friend.  Examine  it  in  the  light  of  con- 
science and  see  if  it  be  not  so.’  But  while  they  re- 
fused to  pay  such  fees  and  taxes,  they  were  liberal  to- 
a proverb  in  their  contributions  for  all  useful  and 
benevolent  purposes. 

“ At  the  end  of  ten  years,  the  public  lands,  which, 
they  had  chosen  for  their  farms,  were  advertised  fdr 
sale  at  auction.  According  to  custom,  those  'who  had 
settled  and  cultivated  the  soil  were  considered  to  have 
a right  to  bid  it  in  at  the  government  price;  which  at 
that  time  was  $1.25  per  acre.  But  the  fever  of  land 
speculation  then  chanced  to  run  unusually  high. 


200 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANOE. 


Aa1\  entui  ers  from  all  parts  of  the  country  were  flock  - 
ing  to  the  auction;  and  capitalists  in  Baltimore.  Phila* 
dt  lpliia,  Yew  York  and  Boston  wrere  sending'  agents  to 
buy  up  western  lands.  No  one  supposed  that  custom 
or  equity  would  be  regarded.  The  first  day’s  sale 
showed  that  speculation  ran  to  the  verge  of  insanity. 
Land  was  eagerly  bought  in  at  seventeen,  twenty-five 
and  forty  dollars  an  acre.  The  Christian  colony  had 
small  hope  of  retaining  their  farms.  As  first  settlers, 
they  had  chosen  the  best  land;  and  persevering  indus- 
try had  brought  it  into  the  highest  cultivation.  Its 
market- value  was  much  greater  than  the  acres  already 
sold  at  exorbitant  prices.  In  view  of  these  facts,  they 
had  prepared  their  minds  for  another  remove  into  the 
wilderness,  perhaps  to  be  again  ejected  by  a similar 
process.  But  the  morning  their  lot  was  offered  for 
sale,  they  observed  with  grateful  surprise  that  their 
neighbors  were  everywhere  busy  among  the  crowd, 
Pegging  and  expostulating:  ‘ Don’t  bid  on  these 
lands!  These  men  have  been  working  hard  on  them 
for  ten  years.  During  all  that  time,  they  never  did 
harm  to  man  or  brute.  They  are  always  ready  to  do 
good  for  evil.  They  are  a blessing  to  any  neighbor- 
hood. It  would  be  a sin  and  a shame  to  bid  on  their 
land . Let  it  go  at  the  government  price.  ’ 

“ The  sale  came  on;  the  cultivators  of  the  soil  of- 
fered $1.25;  intending  to  bid  higher  if  necessary- 
But  among  all  that  crowd  of  selfish,  reckless  specula- 
tors, not  one  bid  over  them  ! Without  one  opposing 
voice,  the  fair  acres  returned  to  them  ! I do  not  know 
a more  remarkable  instance  of  evil  overcome  with 
good.  The  wisest  political  economy  lies  folded  up  in 
the  maxims  of  Christ.  ” 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


201 


THE  AVENGER  STAYED. 

I will  add  oue  more  impressive  illustration,  and 
close.  I copy  from  the  Advocate  of  Peace  for  April, 
1845,  which  appears  to  have  quoted  from  the  History 
of  Danish  Missions: 

“The  history  of  the  Danish  missions  in  Greenland 
is  well  known.  Hans  Egede,  a man  of  apostolic  be- 
nevolence and  zeal,  was  the  pioneer  in  those  efforts  to 
Christianize  the  wild  and  savage  wanderer  of  the 
frozen  north ; and  among  his  successors  was  his  grand- 
son, Hans  Egede  Saabye,from  whose  interesting  diary 
we  select  the  following  tale  of  vengeance  sternly  pur- 
posed, but  graciously  turned  into  love  by  the  power 
of  thesgospel. 

“The  law  or  custom  of  Greenland  requires  every 
murder,  especially  that  of  a father,  to  be  avenged  by 
the  nearest  of  kin  Some  twenty  years  before  the  ar- 
rival of  Saabye,  a man  wras  murdered  under  circum- 
stances of  great  atrocity,  in  the  presence  of  his  own 
son.  The  boy,  only  thirteen  years  old,  was  too  young 
to  defend  his  father,  but  he  did  not  forget  the  debt  of 
vengeance  due  to  his  murderer.  Fleeing  for  his  own 
safety  into  a remote  part  of  the  country,  he  there 
fanned  in  his  bosom  the  secret  flame  for  twenty-five 
years,  and  waited  only  for  an  opportunity  to  let  it 
burst  forth  in  full  and  fierce  revenge.  The  murderer 
was  a man  of  so  much  influence,  and  surrounded  with 
so  many  adherents  ready  for  his  defence,  that  the  son 
feared  to  attack  him;  but  having  persuaded  a number 
of  his  own  relatives  to  accompany  him,  he  started  at 
length  on  his  long  cherished  purpose  of  vengeance, 
and  came  in  quest  of  his  victim  near  the  residence  of 
Saabye.  The  houses  in  Greenland  are  a species  of 


202 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


common  property.  The  people  quit  them  during 
their  short  summer,  and  on  returning  the  next  winter, 
take  possession  of  any  one  they  may  chance  to  find 
unoccupied.  Wiuter  was  now  beginning  to  stretch 
his  icy  arms  over  the  north;  but  the  avenger  found  no 
shelter  for  himself  and  his  associates  in  the  work  of 
vengeance.  Only  one  was  vacant,  and  that  belonged 
to  the  preacher  of  peace  and  forgiveness;  but  Saabye, 
though  well  apprized  of  his  purpose,  let  him  have  the 
house,  and  treated  him  with  his  wonted  courtesy  and 
kindness.  These  attentions  touched  the  avenger’s 
heart;  and  he  came  to  thank  Saabye,  and  repeated  his 
visits  so  often,  that  he  apologized  at  length  for  their 
frequency  by  saying,  ‘You  are  so  amiable  that  I can- 
notkeep  away  from  you.’  After  a lapse  of  several 
weeks,  he  said,  ‘I  should  like  to  know  something  of 
that  great  Lord  of  Heaven,  about  whom  you  say  so 
much ; and  some  of  my  relations  wish  to  learn  too.  ’ 
Saabye  granted  his  request,  and  found  ten  or  twelve 
of  the  company  anxious  for  instruction.  He  sent  a 
catechist  to  live  with  them,  and  was  much  gratified  at 
their  progress,  especially  that  of  the  avenger,  who 
frequently  left  his  fishing  to  hear  instruction,  and  who 
at  length  resolved  to  ask  for  baptism . 

In  the  month  of  May,  Kunnuk  came  to  Saabye,  and 
said,  ‘Teacher,  will  you  baptize  me?  You  know  I’m 
obedient.  I know  God;  and  my  wife,  as  well  as  I, 
wishes  to  become  a believer.’  ‘Yes,’  replied  the 
preacher,  ly°u  know  something  of  God.  You  know 
he  is  good;  you  see  how  he  loves  you  and  desires  to 
make  you  happy;  but  he  desires  also  to  have  you  obey 
him.’  ‘I  do  love  him,’  earnestly  rejoined  the  aveng- 
er; ‘I  will  obey  him.’  ‘But,’  answered  Saahye,  ‘if  you 
wish  to  obey  him,  you  must  kill  nobody.  You  have 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


203 


often  heard  his  command,  thon  shalt  not  kill.’ 

‘ ‘Kunnuk  shook  his  head  in  great  emotion,  and  only 
said,  half  to  himself,  ‘hard  doctrine;  hard  doctrine!7 

— ‘Hear  me,  good  Kunnuk,7  continued  the  man  of 
God.  ‘I  know  yon  have  come  to  avenge,  the  murder 
of  your  father;  this  you  must  not  do  if  you  wish  to 
become  a believer.7  ‘But,7  retorted  the  avenger  with 
a flash  of  indignation  gleaming  from  his  eye,  ‘he  mur- 
dered my  father,  my  own  father!  I saw  it  but  could 
not  help  him;  and  now  I must  punish  the  murderer.7 

— ‘You  grieve  me!7  said  the  man  of  peace.  ‘How"?7 
asked  the  avenger.  ‘Because  you  seem  resolved  to 
murder.7  -Only  him  who  deserves  to  die.'  — ‘But  the 
great  Lord  of  Heaven  says,  thou  shalt  not  kill.7  ‘I 
will  not — only  him.7  — ‘But  you  must  not  kill  even 
him.  Have  you  forgotten  how  often  during  the  win- 
ter, you  heard  this  command:  ‘Avenge  not  thyself, 
but  rather  give  place  unto  wrath;  for  vengeance  is 
mine,  I will  repay,  saith  the  Lord.7 — ‘But,7  asked  the 
avenger,  ‘shall  the  wicked  murder  with  impunity?7  — 
‘No;  he  shall  not;  God  will  punish  him.7  ‘When?'  — 
‘Perhaps  in  this  world;  but  certainly  at  the  day  of 
judgment,  when  he  will  reward  every  one  according 
to  his  deeds.7—  ‘That  is  so  long,7  replied  Kunnuk;  ‘my 
countrymen  and  relations  will  blame  me  if  I do  not 
myself  avenge  my  father  now.7 — ‘If  you  did  not  know 
the  will  of  God,  I should  say  nothing;  but  now  I must 
not  be  silent.7  ‘This  is  hard!7  said  the  avenger. 
‘What  shall  I do?7 — ‘You  must  not  kill  him;  you  must 
even  forgive  him.7  ‘Forgive  him!7  exclaimed  the 
avenger.  ‘Your  doctrine  is  very  strange  and  diffi- 
cult.7 — ‘The  doctrine,7  replied  the  preacher,  ‘is  not 
mine,  but  Christ’s.7 

“Kunnuk  sighed  deeply,  but  made  no  reply;  and 


204 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


Saabye  continued,  ‘perhaps  your  father  was  not  in- 
nocent; he  too  may  have  hilled  somebody.’  ‘As  to 
that,’  replied  Kunnuk,  ‘I  do  not  know.  I only  know 
that  this  man  deserves  to  die.’  ‘Well,’  answered 
Saabye,  turning  to  leave  the  avenger,  ‘I  have  done. 
Kill  him,  if  you  will;  but  remain  an  unbeliever,  and 
expect  his  children  one  day  to  kill  you  in  turn.’  ‘You 
are  amiable  no  longer,’  retorted  the  man  of  blood, 
‘you  speak  hard  words.’  ‘No,  Kunnuk,’  replied  the 
man  of  peace,  ‘I  love  you  still,  and  therefore  wish  you 
not  to  sin  against  God,  who  will  do  justice  both  to 
you  and  your  adversary.’  Saabye  turned  to  go; 
but  Kunnuk  cried  after  him,  ‘Stay,  teacher:  I will 
speak  to  my  relations.’ 

“His  relations  urged  Kunnuk  day  after®  day  to  re- 
veuge,  and  threatened  him  with  the  curses  of  his  kin- 
dred and  the  scorn  of  his  countrymen,  if  he  shrunk 
from  avenging  bis  murdered  father.  The  bosom  of 
the  sou  seemed  a theatre  of  conflicting  emotions.  The 
preacher,  in  his  visits  to  him,  perceived  the  struggle, 
and,  without  taking  any  notice  of  the  particular  sub- 
ject, read  such  portions  of  Scripture  and  such  hymns 
as  led  to  peaceful  and  forgiving  thoughts.  Some  days 
after,  Kunnuk  returned  to  the  preacher.  His  coun- 
tenance, his  manner,  every  thing  about  him,  indicated 
a violent  struggle.  ‘I  will,’  said  he,  ‘I  will  not;  I 
hear,  and  I do  not  hear.  I never  felt  so  before.’ 
‘What  will  you,’  asked  the  preacher,  ‘and  what  will 
you  not?’  ‘I  will  forgive  him.  and  I will  not  forgive 
him;  I have  no  ears,  and  yet  1 have  ears.’  ‘When 
you  will  not  forgive,  answered  Saabye,  ‘then  your 
unconverted  heart  speaks,  and  would  dissuade  you; 
and  when  you  will  forgive,  then  your  better  heart 
speaks.  Which  will  you  obey?’  ‘I  was  so  moved,’ 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


205 


said  the  avenger,  -when  you  spoke  yesterday,  that 
my  heart  wished  to  obey.’  ‘See,  then,  ought  you 
not,’  said  Saabye,  ‘to  feel  that  it  is  the  voice  of  your 
Heavenly  Father  speaking  in  your  heart;  he  bids  you 
be  like  him;  and  he  giveth  sunshine  and  showers  to 
his  foes  as  well  as  his  friends.  Think  of  your  Saviour, 
too,  and  strive  to  resemble  him.  Did  he  ever  hate 
his  enemies  or  return  their  curses  on  their  own  heads? 
When  smitten,  did  he  smite  back?  When  persecuted 
from  city  to  city,  did  he  return  evil  upon  his  perse- 
cutors? When  led  to  the  cross  like  a lamb  to  the 
slaughter,  did  he  open  his  mouth?  Yes;  but  it  was 
to  pray  for  his  murderers:  Father,  forgive  them;  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do.’ 

“This  appeal  touched  the  avenger’s  heart;  a tear 
stood  in  his  eye;  and  earnestly  he  replied,  ‘Yes,  yes, 
that  was  praiseworthy;  but  he  was  better  than  we.’ 
‘Yes,  infinitely  better,’  rejoined  Saabye;  ‘but,  if  we 
have  a good  will,  God  will  give  us  strength.  Hear 
bow  a man  like  you  and  me  can  pray  for  his  murder- 
ers.’ The  preacher  then  read  the  martyrdom  of 
Stephen;  and  Kunnuk,  drying  his  eyes,  said, ‘Wicked 
man!  but  he  is  happy;  he  is  certainly  with  God  in 
heaven.  My  heart  is  so  moved;  but  give  me  a little 
time;  and,  when  I have  brought  my  other  heart  to 
silence,  I will  come  again.’ 

“Soon  Kunnuk  returned  with  an  altered  countenance 
that  spoke  the  peace  and  joy  of  his  heart.  ‘Yow,’ 
said  he,  ‘I  am  happy.  I hate  no  more;  I have  for- 
given; my  wicked  heart  shall  be  silent.  Did  you  not 
see  how  moved  I was  when  you  read  about  him  on 
the  cross  praying  for  his  murderers?  Then  I vowed 
in  my  heart,  I will  forgive;  I have  forgiven.  Yow  I 
hope  I and  my  wife,  who  has  never  hated,  may  be 


206 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


baptized.’  His  request  was  granted;  and  when  the 
day  arrived  for  the  ceremony,  he  gave  a simple  and 
touching  account  of  his  faith;  tears  streamed  from 
his  eyes,  as  he  knelt  for  baptism;  and,  at  the  close  of 
the  service,  he  said,  ‘Receive  me  now  as  a believer; 
I will  hate  no  more;  we  will  love  each  other,  and  alj 
men.’  To  the  murderer  of  his  father,  he  soon  after 
sent  a message,  saying,  ‘I  am  now  a believer;  you 
have  nothing  to  fear.’  He  even  invited  the  murder- 
'd’ to  his  house,  and  received  him  in  a most  friendly 
manner.  Being  invited  to  return  the  visit,  he  went 
alone;  but  to  show  the  heathen  murderer  in  contrast 
with  the  Christian,  Kunuuk  found  on  his  way  back,  a 
hole  cut  in  his  kajak,  or  boat,  for  the  purpose  of 
drowning  him.  He  soon  stopped  out  the  water,  and 
said  with  a smile,  ‘A.k!  he  is  still  afraid;  but  I’ll 
never  harm  him.  Vengeance  is  no  longer  mine;  I 
leave  him  to  God,  and  pray  that  he  may  see  his  sins 
as  I have  seen  my  own.’  ” 

CONCLUSION. 

Who  can  contemplate  such  practical  exemplifica- 
tions of  Christian  non-resistance  as  these,  and  not  be 
ravished  with  the  excellence  and  loveliness  of  the 
sublime  doctrine  ! Can  we  turn  around  and  gaze  on 
the  battle  field,  the  hospital  of  mangled  mortality,  the 
gaudy  military  parade,  the  pomp  of  blood-stained 
chieftains;  or  into  the  more  ordinary  affairs  of  life, 
on  the  scuffles,  retaliations,  resentments,  duels, 
litigations  and  endless  quarrels  of  a world  infatuated 
with  resisting  violence; — can  we  look  on  these  things 
without  heart-sickness  and  disgust?  How  base,  des- 
picable and  abhorrent  are  they  all,  compared  with 
the  spiritual  heroism,  the  moral  bravery,  the  glorious 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


207 


self  sacrifice,  the  life-preserving,  heart- reforming, soul- 
redeeming  works  of  genuine  Christianity!  “O,  my 
soul,  come  not  thou  into  their  secret;  unto  their  as- 
sembly, mine  honor,  be  not  thou  united.” 

And  shall  those  who  ought  to  be  “the  light  of  the 
world”  and  “the  salt  of  the  earth,”  dishonor  their 
high  calling,  and  defile  their  garments,  by  engaging 
in  the  conflicts  of  human  ambition,  violence  and  re- 
venge 1 Shall  they  lust  after  the  dainties  of  cannibal- 
ism, admire  the  splendors  of  martial  idolatry,  and 
delight  themselves  in  the  acts  of  mortal  cruelty  ! If 
risen  with  Christ,  ought  they  not  to  seek  the  things  of 
Christ,  inhale  the  perfumes  of  his  Spirit,  fallow  in 
his  footsteps,  aud  make  it  their  supreme  satisfaction 
to  do  the  will  of  the  Father?  Is  it  for  them  to  fly 
from  the  dangers  of  Gethsemane  to  look  with  despair 
from  afar  on  the  non-resistant  cross,  and  to  make 
themselves  one  with  a mutually  defiant  and  destruc- 
tive world!  Shall  they  see  lions  in  the  way,  and  fear 
to  go  forth  ? Shall  they  stand  shivering  like  the 
sluggard  because  it  is  cold,  and  so  neglect  to  plow  ? 
Does  it  become  them  to  complain  that  the  duties  of 
love  are  hard,  that  non-resistance  is  impracticable, 
impossible  or  extremely  difficult;  when  its  principle 
is  so  god- like;  its  spirit  so  heavenly,  its  exemplifica- 
tion so  beautifcl,  its  fruits  so  refreshing,  and  its 
achievements  so  glorious!  What  if  it  demand  a strict 
discipline;  what  if  it  require  some  severe  exertions; 
what  if  it  impose  some  manly  endurance;what  if  it  offer 
an  opportunity  to  perform  some  exploits  of  moral  hero- 
ism: shall  it  therefore  be  unattractive  to  great  souls? 
Xay,  rather  let  it  seem  the  more  worthy  of  a holy  and 
generous  enthusiasm.  Let  its  calls  for  volunteers  ap- 
peal more  thrillingly  to  a noble  ambition — an  ambi- 


20S 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


tion  to  be  and  do  something  worthy  of  our  divine 
Parentage — worthy  ot  the  Love  that  has  purchased 
our  redemption  with  the  tears  and  groans  and  blood 
ot  the  cross — worthy  of  immortality- — worthy  of  liv- 
ing and  dying  for.  To  save  one  life,  to  recover  one 
lost  brother,  to  make  one  heart  holy  and  happy — or 
even  to  qualify  ourselves  by  self-denial  for  the  in- 
dwelling Spirit  of  the  Highest — is  infinitely  more 
worthy  of  a whole  life’s  cares  and  vigils,  than  all  the 
wealth,  pomp  and  splendor  which  the  world’s  favor- 
ite destroyers  ever  acquired  by  the  sword.  “God  lor- 
bid  that  we  should  glory  in  any  thing  save  the  cross 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.” 

“How  hardly  man  this  lesson  learns, 

To  smile  and  bless  the  hand  that  spurns; 

To  see  the  blow— to  feel  the  pain, 

But  render  only  love  again. 

This  spirit  not  to  earth  is  given; 

One  had  it— He  came  from  heaven. 

Reviled,  rejected  and  betrayed, 

No  curse  he  breathed,  no  plaint  he  made, 

But  when  in  death’s  deep  pang  he  sighed, 

Prayed  for  his  murderers  and  died.” — Edmislon . 


13 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


209 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Non-Resistance  In  Relation  To  Government. 

Is  Non-Resistance  for  or  against  human  government?— Hu- 
man government  de  T<tcto — Objection— Answer -Consti- 
tutions of  Massachusetts  and  the  United  States — extracts 
— Why  not  participate  to  reform? — Cannot  lie  and  commit 
perjury— Delegated  power  to  declare  war — Letters  of  mar- 
' que  and  reprisal,  piracy— Legal  and  political  action— How 
to  reform  government— Injurious  force  not  essential  to 
government — Under  what  circumstances  this  country 
might  have  a non-resistant  government — View  of  the 
present  order  of  things,  and  remedy — Extract  from  M, 
Guizot’s  Lectures — Conclusion. 

IS  NON-RESISTANCE  FOR  OR  AGAINST  HUMAN  GOV- 
ERNMENT? 

I propose  to  occupy  the  present  chapter  in  treating 
on  the  relation  of  non-resistance  to  human  govern- 
ment. Is  non-resistance,  as  defined  and  expounded 
in  this  work,  for  or  against  human  government  per  sel 
This  depends  on  what  sense  is  given  to  the  adjective 
human  when  joined  to  the  noun  government.  If  hu- 
man government  be  understood  to  imply  or  presup- 
pose an  inherent,  original,  absolute  power  in  man  to 
make  laws  and  exercise  discretionary  control  over 
man,  non  resistance  is  against  it.  It  denies  any  such 
inherent,  original,  absolute  power  in  man,  and  refers 
it  to  God  only.  In  this  sense  all  rightful  government 
is  essentially  divine;  man  being  ever  a subject — not  a 
governor.  And  whenever  he  assumes  to  require  any 
thing  repugnant  to  the  divine  law,  he  is  a rebel  against 


210 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


God,  and  a usurper  over  his  co-equal  fellow- man. 
Man  cannot  rightfully  legislate  or  govern  insubordi- 
nately  to  his  Creator.  lie  can  only  govern  under  and 
with  the  divine  sanction.  If  this  position  needs  auy 
defence,  non-resistants  are  prepared  to  maintain  it 
against  the  world.  None,  however,  but  atheists  and 
would-be  Deieides — [God-killers] — the  genuine  110- 
governmentists,  can  be  reckless  enough  to  controvert 
it. 

But  if  human  government  be  understood  to  imply 
only  divine  government  clothed  in  human  forms  and 
administered  by  human  organizations,  with  merely  in 
cidental  human  imperfections,  non-resistance  is  for  it 
per  se.  It  has  no  necessary  opposition  to  it  whatever. 
It  recognizes  man  as  by  nature  a social  being.  It  sees 
the  ties  and  dependencies  of  husband  and  wife,  parent 
and  child,  friend  and  neighbor,  smaller  and  larger 
community;  and  is  essentially  friendly  to  all  social  or- 
ganizations founded  on  love  to  God  and  man.  Hu- 
man government  in  this  sense  would  be  an  organiza- 
tion of  society  constitutionally  deferential  to  the  high- 
est known  law  of  God  ft  would  disclaim  and  de- 
nounce all  assumption  of  power  to  set  up  and  enforce 
auy  law,  regulation  or  usage  in  violation  of  the  nat- 
ural equality  and  brotherhood  of  mankind.  It  would 
inscribe  on  its  main  pillars,  no  resistance  of  injury 
with  injury  - no  rendering  of  evil  for  evil  — evil  can 
be  overcome  only  with  good!  It  would  pledge  its  en- 
tire religious,  intellectual,  moral,  physical,  industrial 
and  pecuniary  resources  to  the  maintenance  of  the 
right  education,  good  conduct,  comfortable  subsis- 
tence and  general  welfare  of  all  its  population.  It 
would  declare  and  treat  all  its  officers  as  servants  of 
their  brethren,  entitled  to  no  other  remuneration  than 


C H R I ST  IAN  NON  - E ESISTAN CE. 


211 


an  equal  subsistence  and  dividend  of  general  profits 
with  the  mass  of  unofficials.  It  would  know  no  such 
thing- as  government  craft,  and  have  no  separate  in 
terests  of  ils  functionaries  to  be  fattened  at  the  ex- 
pense of  their  constituents.  It  would  disclaim  all  au- 
thority of  its  own,  and  rest  all  its  legislation,  its  ju- 
dicial decrees,  and  its  executive  proceedings  on  their 
intrin-ic  rectitude  and  fitness  to  promote  the  public 
good.  It  would  put  off  all  external  display,  pomp, 
parade  and  childish  insignia,  and  be  a plain  simple 
business  concern,  provided  with  all  tilings  decent  and 
convenient  for  its  necessary  use  and  nothing  more.  It 
would  incur  no  expense  for  distinction’s  sake — for 
show  and  dazzle.  Man  would  make  no  wicked 'and 
foolish  attempt  to  appear  a god  to  his  fellow  worms. 
The  most  exalted  servant  of  the  people  would  need  to 
dwell  in  no  bt-tter  house,  eat  no  better  food,  drink  no 
costlier  liquids,  wear  no  richer  livery,  ride  in  no  bet- 
ter carriage,  under  a wise  and  righteous  government 
than  would  be  proper  for  every  common  citizen.  He 
would  be  ashamed  to  wish  anythiug  better.  “He  that, 
will  be  chief  among  you  shall  be  as  he  that  doth 
serve.”  This  is  the  pattern  for  the  head  of  a Chris- 
tian republic.  Such  a government  would  verify  the 
prophetic  prediction:  “I  will  also  make  thy  officers 
peace,  and  thine  exactors  righteousness.  Violence 
shall  no  more  be  heard  in  thy  land,  wasting  nor  de- 
struction within  thy  borders.”  Such  a government 
there  will  yet  be  throughout  the  earth.  It  is  coming- 
in  the  dim  distant  future.  Christian  non-resistance 
is  its  forerunner,  and  will  hail  its  arrival  amid  the 
welcome  shouts  of  an  enlightened  world.  Men  will 
then  look  back  on  our  present  semi -barbarous  govern- 
ment, much  as  a philosopher  now  does  on  the  picture 


212 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


of  an  Indian  Sachem,  smeared  with  paint,  ornamented 
with  feathers  and  wampum  and  resting  on  his  war 
club  or  tomahawk.  Understanding  then  by  human 
government  only  divine  government  humanized  in  its 
forms,  applications  and  details,  non-resistance  is  de- 
cidedly for  it  per  se. 

HUMAN  GOVERNMENT  DE  FACTO. 

But  is  it  for  human  government  as  it  is  de  facto  1 
This  is  now  the  practical  question.  No.  Why  not  1 
Because  it  cannot  be  both  for  and  against  itself.  Non- 
resistance  cannot  be  for  war,  capital  punishment,  sla- 
very and  all  sorts  of  penal  injury.  Nor  can  it  be  for 
any  government  which  is  fundamentally  for  these 
things.  These  things  are  not  reconcilable  with  non- 
resistance.  Its  adherents  cannot  therefore  be  volun - 
tary  participators  in  existing  governments.  Not  be- 
cause they  are  opposed  to  government  per  se-  but  be- 
cause they  are  utterly  opposed  to  these  fundamental 
evils,  with  which  all  that  is  good  in  existing  govern- 
ments is  inseparably  interwoven.  They  demand  a re- 
moval of  these  anti-Christian  articles  from  our  nation- 
al and  state  constitutions  before  they  can  voluntarily 
participate  in  the  government.  Are  they  right  in  as- 
suming this  stand  1 

OBJECTION. 

“No,”  says  the  objector,  “you  are  not  clearly  right, 
to  my  apprehension,  in  charging  our  national  and 
state  constitution  with  being  necessarily  for  war,  cap- 
ital punishment,  slavery  and  penal  injury.  But  if 
you  are  right  in  this,  you  are  positively  wrong  in  re- 
fusing to  participate  in  the  government  till  these 
things  are  expunged.  If  you  will  neither  hold  office, 
vote  nor  bring  actions  at  law  under  the  government, 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


213 


how  do  you  expect  these  evils  are  to  be  eradicated  ! 
You  ought  to  take  part  in  the  government, if  for  noth- 
ing else,  to  effect  the  necessary  amendments  in  our 
constitutions.  Who  is  to  remove  these  evils,  if  you, 
who  see  and  feel  them,  refuse  to  lift  a finger  to  dis- 
lodge them?  Stay  in  the  government  and  reform  it. 
You  frustrate  your  own  aims  by  non-participation.  ” 

ANSWER. 

AVar,  capital  punishment,  slavery  and  many  penal 
injuries  have  prevailed  in  the  United  States.  They 
still  prevail.  Are  they  contrary  to  the  fundamental 
law?  Do  they  not  flourish  under  its  positive  sanc- 
tion? I shall  not  go  far  out  of  my  way  to  establish 
facts  naked  to  universal  observation.  Without  med- 
dling with  fine  spun  arguments,  designed  to  show  that 
the  federal  constitution  is  an  anti-slavery  instrument, 
or  anticipating  any  ingenious  plea  which  might  be  of- 
fered to  demonstrate  its  consonance  with  Christianity 
in  respect  to  capital  punishment,  I shall  content  my- 
self with  presenting  an  extract  from  the  Constitution 
of  Massachusetts,  (a  state  in  the  vanguard  of  human 
improvement, ) and  two  or  three  from  that  of  the 
United  States.  These  will  show  whether  non-resis- 
tance can  endorse  even  republican  constitutions — not 
to  mention  the  written  and  unwritten  ones  of  the  old 
world. 

EXTRACT  FROM  THE  CONSTITUTION  OE  MASSACHU- 
SETTS. 

“The  Governor  of  this  Commonwealth,  for  the  time 
being,  shall  be  the  commander-in-chief  of  .the  army 
and  navy,  and  of  all  the  military  forces  of  the  State, 
by  sea  and  land;  and  shall  have  full  power,  by  him- 
self, or  by  any  commander,  or  other  officer  and  offi- 


214 


CHRISTIAN  NON  RESISTANCE. 


cers,  from  time  to  time,  to  train,  instruct,  exercise  and 
govern  the  militia  and  navy;  and  for  the  special  de- 
fence and  safety  of  the  Commonwealth,  to  assemble  in 
martial  array,  and  put  in  warlike  posture,  the  in- 
habitants thereof;  and  to  lead  and  conduct  them,  and 
with  them  to  encounter,  repel,  resist,  expel,  and  pur- 
sue, by  force  of  arms,  as  well  by  sea  as  by  land,  with- 
in or  without  the  limits  of  this  Commonwealth,  and 
also  to  KILL,  SLAY  AND  DESTROY,  if  necessary, 
and  conquer,  by  all  fitting  ways,  enterprizes  and 
means  whatsoever,  all  and  every  such  person  or  per- 
sons as  shall,  at  any  time  hereafter,  in  a hostile  man- 
ner, attempt  or  enterprise  the  destruction,  invasion, 
detriment  or  annoyance  of  this  Commonwealth;  and 
to  use  and  exercise,  over  the  army  and  navy,  and  over 
the  militia  in  actual  service,  the  law  martial,  in  time 
of  war  and  invasion,  and  also  in  time  of  rebellion  de- 
clared by  the  Legislature  to  exist,  as  occasion  shall 
necessarily  require;  and  to  take  and  surprise,  by  all 
ways  and  means  whatsoever,  all  and  every  such  per- 
son or  persons,  with  their  ships,  arms,  ammunition, 
and  other  goods,  as  shall,  in  a hostile  manner, invade, 
or  attempt  the  invading,  conquering,  or  annoying  this 
Commonwealth;  and  that  the  Governor  be  entrusted 
with  all  these  and  other  powers,  incident  to  the  offices 
of  captain  general  and  commander-in  chief  and  ad- 
miral, to  be  exercised  agreeably  to  the  rules  and  reg- 
ulations of  the  Constitution,  and  the  laws  of  the  land, 
and  not  otherwise.” 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  U.  S.  CONSTITUTION. 

“The  Congress  shall  have  power — to  define  and 
punish  piracies  and  felonies  committed  on  the  high 
seis,  and  offences  against  the  laws  of  nations. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


215 


“To  declare  war;  grant  letters  of  marque  and  re- 
prisal: and  make  rules  concerning  captures  on  land 
and  water. 

“To  raise  and  support  armies. 

“To  provide  and  maintain  a|navy. 

“To  provide  for  calling  forth  the  militia  to  execute 
the  laws  of  the  union,  suppress  insurrections  and  in- 
vasions. 

“To  provide  for  organizing,  arming  and  disciplin- 
ing the  militia,  &c. 

‘‘The  President  shall  be  commander- in-chief  of  the 
army  and  navy  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  mi- 
litia of  the  several  States,  when  called  into  actual  ser- 
vice. 

“His  oath  shall  be: — I do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm) 
that  I will  faithfully  execute  the  office  of  President  of 
tlie  United  States;  and  will,  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
preserve,  protect  and  defend  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

“This  Constitution,  and  the  laws  of  the  United 
States  which  shall  be  made  in  pursuance  thereof,  and 
all  treaties  made,  or  which  shall  be  made,  under  the 
authority  of  the  United  States,  shall  be  the  supreme 
law  of  the  land.” 

These  extracts  ought  to  make  it  clear  to  every 
man’s  apprehension  that  our  State  and  [National  Con- 
stitutions authorize,  provide  for  and  sanction  war, 
preparations  for  war  and  all  the  abominations  inci- 
dent to  or  consequent  upon  the  murderous  military 
system.  The  objector  has  no  ground  to  stand  on 
here. 

WHY  NOT  PARTICIPATE  IN  ORDER  TO  REFORM? 

But  to  come  to  the  second  part  of  the  objection.  If 


216 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


the  non  resistants  are  right,  as  to  the  fundamental, 
military  and  penal  character  of  the  government,  the 
objector  declares  they  are  positively  wrong  in  refus- 
ing to  participate  in  the  government  till  these  things 
are  expunged.  He  wishes  to  know  how, or  by  whom, 
we  expect  thesb  evils  to  be  eradicated,  if  we  will 
neither  hold  office,  vote  nor  bring  actions  at  law.  He 
bids  us  stay  in  the  government  to  reform  it;  and  tells 
us  we  frustrate  our  own  aims  by  non-participation. 

This  will  pass  current  with  the  mass  of  people  for 
sound  common  sense;  but  I shall  show  it  to  be  more 
specious  than  substantial.  If  our  scruples  related 
solely  to  minor  details  and  incidental  defects  in  the 
existing  governments,  the  objector’s  reasoning  would 
be  conclusive.  For  we  do  not  exact  absolute  per- 
fection, either  theoretical  or  practical,  in  constitutions 
of  government,  as  a condition  of  our  participation  in 
them.  We  can  readily  conceive  of  a radically  Chris- 
tian government  with  minor  errors  and  defects  in  its 
details,  and  certainly  with  incidental  abuses  of  ad- 
ministration arising  out  of  human  imperfection.  In 
such  governments  we  could  conscientiously  partici 
pate,  and  should  feel  bound  to  do  so  for  the  purpose 
of  purifying  them  entirely;  if  possible,  from  errors  and 
abuses. 

But  the  governments  now  under  notice  are  radi- 
cally, fundamentally  anti  Christian.  “The  whol1 
head  is  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  faint.”  Military 
and  injurious  penal  power  is  their  very  life  blood— 
the  stamina  of  their  existence.  They  are  as  repugnant 
to  non-resistance,  as  pride  is  to  humility,  wrath  to 
meekness,  vengeance  to  forgiveness,  death  to  life, 
destruction  to  salvation. 

These  Constitutions  have  the  double  character  of 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


217 


declarations  and  covenants.  They  declare  wliat  is  to 
be  considered  truth  and  duty,  and  are  a solemn  mu  - 
tual  covenant  of  the  people  with  each  other,  as  to 
what  may  or  shall  be  done  in  their  name.  They  are 
written  out  with  great  clearness  and  precision,  so 
that  no  one  may  misunderstaud  them.  When  a man 
assents  to  them,  or  swears  to  support  them,  or  acknow- 
ledges himself  a party  to  the  compact  established  by 
them,  they  become  to  all  intents  and  purposes  declar- 
ations of  what  he  regards  as  truth  and  duty,  and  a 
pledge  on  his  part  that  he  will  faithfully  co-operate 
in  carrying  them  into  full  effect.  If  they  do  not  de- 
clare his  sentiments,  he  makes  himself  a liar  by  en- 
dorsing, subscribing  or  assenting  to  them.  If  he  does 
not  honestly  mean  to  co-operate  in  giving  them  prac- 
tical efficacy,  he  peijures  himself  by  solemnly  engag- 
ing tc  support  the  compact. 

CANNOT  LIE  AND  COMMIT  PERJURY 

Am  I advised  to  lie  and  commit  perjury  in  order 
to  reform  an  anti-Christian  government?  If  I accept 
any  office  of  destinctiou,  I must  swear  or  affirm  to 
support  the  Constitution:  not  in  parts,  but  entire.  In 
fact,  I cannot  vote,  without  either  actually  taking 
such  oath  oi  affirmation,  or  at  least  virtually  acknow- 
ledging myself  to  be  under  the  highest  obligations  of 
allegiance.  Government  in  this  country  is  vested  in 
the  voters.  They  are  leagued  together  b ; their 
common  declaration  of  sentiments  and  mutual  cove- 
nants—the  Constitution — to  conduct  the  government 
in  a certain  way,  and  to  maintain  its  authority  by 
military  force.  It  seems  to  have  been  universally 
taken  for  granted  that  military  force  would  be  indis- 
pensable. 


CH  RISTI  AN  NON-  RESISTANCE. 


2 IS 


It  is  therefore  a gross  fraud  and  imposition  for  any 
man  to  appear  at  the  ballot-box  as  a voter,  who  is  at 
heart  false  to  the  Constitution,  who  does  not  mean  in 
good  faith  to  abide  by  and  support  it,  and  just  as  it 
is,  till  it  can  be  constitutionally  amended.  This  is 
what  a non  resistant  cannot  do,  without  treason  to  the 
divine  government;  without  trampling  under  foot  the 
precepts  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Would  the  objector  have  me  join  an  association  of 
persons  who  covenant  that  their  governor  shall  be 
“commander  in  chief  of  their  army  and  navy,  and  of 
all  their  military  forces  by  sea  and  land?”  Whose 
army,  navy  and  military1?  Mine?  Am  I,  a non-re- 
sistant, in  company  with  a combination  who  have 
armies,  navies  and  military  forces?  And  do  I agree 
that  our  chief  servant  shall  command  these?  That  he 
may  lead  them  forth  to  “kill,  slay  and  destroy” 
our  enemies!  Am  I to  vote  for  such  an  officer,  and 
agree  to  have  him  put  under  oath  to  do  such  things! 
A most  exemplary  non-resistant  indeed!  Should  I 
not  speedily  convince  the  common  mind  that  I was 
amazingly  opposed  to  war  and  all  its  kindred  deeds! 

delegated  power  to  declare  war. 

Will  the  objector  insist  that  I shall  proclaim  to  all 
the  world  my  assent  and  agreement  as  a co-governing 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  that  “Congress  shall 
have  power  to  declare  war?”  My  representatives 
have  power  to  do  this  wicked  thing,  in  my  name  at 
their  discretion!  Power  to  turn  the  whole  nation  into 
impious  robbers,  murderers  and  desolators  of  the 
earth ! Power  to  authorize  the  perpetration  of  all  the 
crimes  and  cruelties  of  war!  Never.  I will  not  agree 
or  consent  to  any  such  thing.  It  is  an  abomination. 


CHRISTIAN  NON  RESISTANCE. 


21$ 

1 will  hold  office  on  no  such  conditions,  l will  not  be 
a voter  on  such  conditions,  I will  join  no  church  or 
state,  which  hold  such  a creed  or  prescribes  stub  a 
covenant  for  the  subscription  of  its  members. 

LETTERS  OF  MARQUE  AND  REPRISAL,  PIRACY, 

Much  less  will  the  objector  persuade  me  to  author- 
ize any  Congress  of  mine  ever  to  grant  those  piratical 
commissions,  called  “letters  of  marque  and  reprisal.” 
Defensive  war  ou  the  home  soil,  to  repel  murderous 
invaders,  though  the  most  excusable  of  all  war,  is 
forbidden  by  Christianity.  How  much  more  these 
seven  fold  abominations,  called  “letters  of  marque 
and  reprisal?’’  What  are  they?  Nothing  but  conn 
missions  to  unprincipled  buccauiers  to  rob,  plunder 
and  murder  defenceless  people  ou  the  high  seas. 
Their  victims  may  be  individually  the  most  peace- 
able and  honest  people  in  the  world;  but  if  they  be- 
long to  a certain  nation,  against  which,  for  some  fool- 
lish  or  wicked  reason,  Congress  has  declared  war, 
their  goods  are  made  lawful  plunder,  and  themselves 
the  prey  of  sharkish  voracity.  Is  a common  high- 
wayman to  be  held  in  universal  abhorrence  and  hung- 
up by  the  neck  on  a gibbet,  and  yet  are  Christian 
people  to  authorize  their  Congress  to  grant  letters  of 
piracy!  And  will  a man  alter  agreeing  that  such 
things  shall  be  perpetrated  in  his  name,  presume  to 
go  about  preaching  peace  and  non-resistance?  Does 
the  objector  wish  me  to  make  myself  supremely 
ridiculous,  as  well  as  wicked? 

And  yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  I must  be  a mem- 
ber of  the  national  organization,  which  is  bound  by 
this  political  creed  and  covenant.  I must  be  a voter. 
I must  vote  for  the  President  of  the  United  States  to 


220 


CH KISTI AN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


be  “commander  iu -chief  of  our  army  and  navy.”  I 
must  agree  to  have  him  put  under  oath,  faithfully  to 
execute  this  office.  I must  myself  be  ready  to  accept 
of  this,  tnat  and  the  other  office,  prefaced  by  an  ob- 
ligation to  support  the  entire  Constitution,  war,  sla- 
very and  all,  as  “the  supreme  law  of  the  land!” 
And  it  idolatry  were  a fundamental  prescription  of 
the  compact,  I must  suppoit  that  too!  All  this  for 
the  sake  of  wielding  the  necessary  influence  to  reform 
the  government!  Unless  I lie,  perjure  myself,  and 
sacrifice  every  particle  of  my  non-resistant  principle 
for  the  time  being,  in  order  to  participate  in  the  gov- 
ernment as  it  is,  I can  never  hope  to  see  a Christian 
government  established!  I happen  to  see  “a  more 
excellent  way,”  fidelity  to  principle. 

LEGAL  AND  POLITICAL  ACTION. 

Many  people  seem  to  take  for  granted  that  legal 
and  political  action  afford  to  good  men  indispensable 
instrumentalities  for  the  promotion  of  moral  reform, 
or  at  least  for  the  maintenance  of  wholesome  order  in 
society.  Hence  we  hear  much  said  of  the  duty  of  en- 
forcing certain  penal  laws,  of  voting  for  just  rulers, 
and  of  rendering  government  “a  terror  of  evil  doers.” 
Now  I make  no  objection  to  any  kind  of  legal  or 
political  action  which  is  truly  Christian  action.  Nor 
deny  that  some  local  and  temporary  good  has  been 
done  by  prosecutions  at  law,  voting  in  our  popular 
elections  and  exercising  the  functions  of  magistracy, 
under  the  prevailing  system  of  human  government. 
But  I contend  that  there  is  very  little  legal  and  politi- 
cal action  under  this  system,  which  is  strictly  Chris- 
tian action.  And  I deny  that  professedly  good  men 
do  half  as  much  to  promote  as  they  do  to  subvert 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


221 


moral  reform  and  wholesome  order  in  society  by 
legal  and  political  action.  The  common  notions  re- 
specting these  matters  are  extremely  superficial, 
delusive  and  mischievous.  Look  at  facts. 

1.  Is  it  not  a fact,  that  men  strenuous  for  legal 
coercion,  who  devote  themselves  to  the  prosecution  of 
lawbreakers  as  an  important  duty,  generally  become 
incapable  of  benevolent,  patient,  suasory  moral 
action?  Do  they  not  become  disagreeable  to  human 
minds,  and  objects  of  defiance  to  the  lawless?  Is  not 
this  generally  the  case?  I am  sure  it  is.  Reliance  on 
injurious  penal  force  costs  more  than  it  comes  to,  as 
an  instrumentality  for  the  promotion  of  moral  reform. 
It  works  only  a little  less  mischievously  in  morals 
than  in  religion. 

2.  Is  it  not  a fact,  that  equally  good  men  are 
divided  among  all  the  rival  political  parties,  and 
that,  under  pretence  of  doing  their  duty  to  God  and 
humanity,  they  vote  point  blank  for  aim  against  the 
same  men  and  measures,  mutually  thwarting,  as  far 
as  possible,  each  others’  preferences?  Every  man 
knows  this.  Does  God  make  it  their  duty  to  practice 
this  sheer  contradiction  and  hostility  of  effort  at  the 
ballot-box!  Does  enlightened  humanity  prompt  it? 
No;  there  must  be  a cheat  somewhere  in  the  game. 
The  Holy  Ghost  does  not  blaspheme  the  Holy  Ghost; 
nor  Satan  cast  out  Satan.  Either  the  men  are  not 
good,  or  their  notions  of  duty  are  false. 

3.  Is  it  not  a fact  that  the  most  scrupulously  moral 
and  circumspect  men  in  all  the  rival  political  parties 
are  uniformly  found,  with  very  rare  exceptions, either 
among  the  rank  and  file  of  their  party,  or  in  the  in- 
ferior offices  ? Are  our  wisest  and  best  men  of  each 
party  put  forward  as  leaders?  Are  not  the  managers 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


222 

-the  real  wire-pullers — generally  sellish,  unscrupu- 
lous men  H Whatever  may  be  the  exceptions,  is  not 
this  the  general  rale?  We  have  all  sten  that  it  is. 
II ow  then  is  it  to  be  accounted  for,  on  the  supposition 
that  political  action  is  so  adapted  to  moral  reform  and 
wholesale  order  in  society"?  The  good  men  in  political 
parties  are  not  the  leaders,  but  the  led.  They  do  not 
use  political  action  to  a noble  end,  but  are  themselves 
the  dupes  and  tools  of  immoral  managers — put  up  or 
put  down,  foremost  or  rearmost,  in  the  centre  or  on 
the  Hank,  just  as  they  will  show  and  count  to  the 
best  advantage.  All  they  are  wanted  for  is  to  show 
and  count  against  the  same  class  in  the  other  party. 
Their  use  is  to  give  respectability, weight  of  character 
and  moral  capital  to  their  party.  They  are  the 
“stool  pigeons,”  the  “decoy  ducks,”  the  take-ins  of 
their  managers.  The  way  they  are  used  and  the 
game  of  iniquity  played  off,  are  the  proofs  of  this. 
Yet  this  is  what  mau\  simple  souls  call  having  in- 
fluence. 

4.  Is  it  not  a fact  that  of  the  very  few  high-toned 
moral  men  who  happen  to  get  into  the  head  quartet’s 
of  political  distinction,  not  one  in  ten  escapes  con- 
tamination or  utter  disgust?  And  now  what  do  all 
these  facts  prove?  That  under  the  present  system  of 
government,  legal  and  political  action  is  generally 
anti-Christian.  That  political  good  men  are  influen- 
tial chiefly  as  tools  for  mischief.  And  that  non- 
political  good  men  are  the  most  likely  to  render 
legalists  and  politicians  decent  in  the  affairs  of 
government. 

HOW  TO  REFORM  GOVERNMENT. 


Existing  governments  have  their  merits,  They 


CHRISTIAN  NON  RESISTANCE. 


223 

might  be  worse  than  they  are.  They  are  as  good  as 
the  great  mass  of  the  people  demand,  or  are  capable 
of  appreciating.  If  full  grown  Christian  constitu- 
tions were  proffered  to  them,  they  would  vote  them 
down  with  contempt.  If  we  could  cheat  them  into 
the  reception  of  one,  they  would  not  know  how  to 
live  under  it.  Governments  are  correct  exponents  of 
the  aggregate  religious  light,  moral  sentiment  and 
intellectual  developement  of  the  people  living  under 
them.  People  with  a false  and  low  religion,  a false 
and  low  morality,  a low  and  undeveloped  intellect, 
will  have  a corresponding  false  and  low  organization 
of  society,  false  and  low  government  ! An  Esquimaux, 
Hottentot,  or  New  Hollander,  would  denre  and  ad 
minister  an  Esquimaux,  Hottentot,  or  New  Holland 
government.  The  reason  why  we  have  not  a Chris- 
tian government  is,  that  our  people  are  not  in  .the  ag- 
gregate a Christian  people.  The  aggregate  religion 
is  far  below  the  Christian  standard.  The  aggregate 
conscience  and  moral  sentiment  of  the  people  is  semi- 
barbarous.  And  their  aggregate  intellect  is  not  yet 
sufficiently  improved  by  knowledge  and  discipline  to 
see  how  low  their  religion  and  morality  is.  They  are, 
therefore,  not  even  ashamed  of  war  and  slavery.  They 
do  not  see  that  these  gross  abominations  are  their 
disgrace  and  curse.  We  have  got  to  enlighten  them, 
expand  their  intellects,  purify  their  moral  seLtiment, 
quicken  their  conscience  and  reform  their  religious 
ideas.  This  is  not  to  be  done  by  voting  at  the  polls, 
by  seeking  influential  offices  in  the  government  and 
binding  ourselves  to  anti  Christian  political  com- 
pacts. It  is  to  be  done  by  pure  Christian  precepts 
faithfully  inculcated,  and  pure  Christian  examples  on 
the  part  of  1 hose  who  have  been  favored  to  receire 


224 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE. 


and  embrace  the  highest  truths.  They  must  hold  up 
the  true  standard,  let  their  light  shine  and  patiently 
persevere  in  the  great  work  of  creating  a new  heart 
and  a new  spirit  in  the  people.  They  must  do  noth- 
ing to  disparage  or  hinder  whatever  is  good  in  the  ex- 
isting order  of  society  and  government.  Still  less 
must  they  do  anything  to  hinder  their  own  pure  tes- 
timony; either  by  seditious  opposition  to  government 
or  by  voluntary  participation  in  its  sins.  They  must 
not  falsify  their  principles  by  going  with  the  govern- 
ment to  do  evil,  nor  in  going  against  its  wrongs  by 
anti-Christian  means,  nor  by  contemning  any  thing  in 
which  is  right  and  good  per  se.  Thi:  is  the  strait  and 
narrow  way  of  Christ. 

When  a considerable  portion  of  the  people  have 
been  enlightened  and  won  over  to  Christian  non-re- 
sistance, the  tide  of  public  sentiment  will  begin  to 
set  with  such  force  against  war  and  the  whole  injury- 
inflicting  system,  that  the  less  enlightened  and  less 
conscientious  portion  will  insensibly  yield  to  the  cur- 
rent, and  the  relics  of  barbarism,  one  after  another, 
be  “cast  to  the  moles  and  bats.”  Thus,  ultimately, 
government  will  be  christianized,  and  the  most  scrup- 
ulous disciples  of  the  non-resistant  Saviour  feel  at  lib- 
erty to  perform  any.  service  in  it  which  the  public 
good  may  require. 

What  a work  is  to  be  performed!  It  has  com- 
menced, and  will  progress  much  faster  than  either 
faint-hearted  friends  or  unbelieving  scoffers  antici- 
pate; though  doubtless  its  consummation  is  at  a great 
distance.  In  this  view  of  the  case,  how  supremely 
silly  would  it  appear  for  a handful  of  non-resistants 
to  run  a tilt  of  politics  and  harness  themselves  to  the 
car  of  Juggernaut,  in  the  hope  of  influencing  the  mis- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


225 


guided  multitude  to  renounce  their  idolatry!  It  would 
be  treason  to  their  cause  and  ridiculous  infatuation,  for 
them  to  play  such  antics.  Their  mission  is  to  “have  no 
fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness,  but 
rather  reprove  them  to  teach,  not  number  the  people  ; 
to  show  forth  a model  of  what  ought  to  be — not  con- 
form to  what  is;  to  testify  against  spiritual  wickedness 
in  high  places,  and  to  cause  the  popular  abominations  of 
the  land  to  be  properly  appreciated  and  utterly  loathed  ; 
to  scatter  light  and  call  the  people  to  repentance ; to 
reform  our  thirty-thousand  religious  teachers,  so  that 
instead  of  patronizing,  inculcating,  apologizing  for,  con- 
senting to,  and  pronouncing  benedictions  on  military 
power  and  display,  they  may  view  and  speak  of  it. with 
the  same  abhorrence  they  now  do  idol  worship ; to  con- 
vert our  hundreds  of  thousands  of  church  members  to 
that  primitive  Christianity,  which  nerved  up  the  ancient 
disciples  to  say,  in  the  face  of  threatened  death — “I  am 
a Christian,  and  can  not  fight !”  When  we  have  done 
all  this  we  will  begin  to  think  about  voting  and  accept- 
ing office  in  the  government.  We  believe  we  shall  then 
no  longer  be  obliged  to  subscribe  Constitutions  which 
make  our  governors  and  presidents  “commanders-in- 
chief  of  the  army,”  or  which  invest  Congress  with  dis- 
cretionary power  “to  declare  war,  grant  letters  of 
marque  and  reprisal" — those  flagrant  crimes  against 
God  and  humanity.  If  we  should,  we  would  still  pi)' 
our  axe  to  the  root  of  the  tree,  and  non-participate  till 
a better  day  had  dawned  .on  the  world.  Such  is  the 
method  by  which  true  Christianity  teaches  its  disciples 
to  reform  government.  True,  it  is  not  according  to 
"the  wisdom  of  this  world,  which  is  foolishness  with 
God;”  but  it  is  according  to  “the  wisdom  that  cometh 
down  from  above,  which  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable. 


22  6 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


gentle,  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good 
fruits,  without  partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy.” — 
James  3:17. 

INJURIOUS  FORCE  NOT  ESSENTIAL  TO  GOVERNMENT. 

I shall  now  be  told  by  the  opposer  that  I am  a 
Utopian,  a dreamer,  a chimerist,  to  imagine  any  such 
thing  as  a government  without  a war  power  in  the  last 
resort — without  the  power  of  deadly  compulsion  to 
suppress  individual  crime  and  mobocratic  violence. 
That  such  a government  would  be  a body  without  a 
soul- — a house  without  a foundation — a powerless  non- 
resistant  abstraction  ; a something  which  can  never  have 
existence  on  earth,  at  least  so  long  as  human  imperfec- 
tion remains.  I know  that  this  is  the  common  opinion 
respecting  government.  But  it  is  false,  the  spawn  of 
ignorance — a sheer  delusion.  A little  reflection  will 
show  how  utterly  groundless  it  is.  It  derives  all  its 
plausibility  from  the  exhibitions  of  past  and  remaining 
barbarism.  Because  men  have  been  barbarous,  and 
their  laws  and  penalties  barbarous,  it  is  taken  for 
granted  that  they  can  not  be  otherwise;  just  as  the 
African,  in  the  center  of  the  Torrid  Zone,  assumed  that 
there  could  be  no  such  thing  as  ice  because  he  had 
never  seen  any;  and  just  as  all  ignorant  people  assume 
that  nothing  can  exist  unlike  what  has  come  under 
their  own  observation. 

Suppose  one  should  confidently  assert  that  there 
could  be  no  such  thing  as  a man,  actually  living  and 
transacting  business  among  mankind,  without  a mili- 
tary chapeau  on  his  head,  a sword  dangling  by  his  side 
or  a musket  over  his  shoulder,  or  at  least  pistols  or 
bowie  knife  about  his  person ; that  no  man  could  live 
in  the  world  without  either  actually  fighting,  or  threat- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


227 


ening  to  fight,  or  at  least  being  armed  for  a fight.  Who 
would  not  see  the  absurdity  of  the  assertion  ? The  man 
and  the  man's  means  of  preserving  his  life  do  not 
necessarily  belong  together.  The  Christian  non-resist- 
ant is  as  much  of  a man  as  your  sword  and  dagger 
character,  and  much  less  of  a brute;  and  the  former 
stands  a much  better  chance  of  long  life,  civil  treat- 
ment and  substantial  happiness  in  the  world,  than  the 
latter.  Suppose  some  one  should  assert  that  there  could 
be  no  such  thing  as  a family  or  good  family  govern- 
ment, without  guns  and  dogs  to  defend  them  against 
marauders,  and  plenty  of  switch-sticks  to  wear  up  over 
the  children’s  backs.  WTuld  it  show  any  thing  more 
than  the  ignorance  and  low  moral  development  of  the 
asserter?  Suppose  another  should  affirm  that  there  can 
be  no  such  thing  as  a church  of  Christ  without  the 
Inquisition  and  auto  da  fe?  Men  of  intelligence,  re- 
flection and  Christianized  moral  feeling,  know  the  con- 
trary. 

UNDER  WHAT  CIRCUMSTANCES  THE  COUNTRY  MIGHT 
HAVE  A NON-RESISTANT  GOVERNMENT. 

Let  us  have  two-thirds  of  the  people  of  the  Unite  1 
States  (including  that  portion  who  are,  or  would  be 
thought,  Christians,  philanthropists,  people  of  intelli- 
gence and  orderly  citizens)  once  firmly  committed  to 
non-resistance,  as  explained  and  illustrated  in  this 
work,  with  even  a large  share  of  imperfection  still  ling- 
ering about  them,  and  the  government  might  triumph- 
antly dispense  with  its  army,  navy,  militia,  capital  pun- 
ishment, and  all  manner  of  injurious  inflictions.  Under 
the  light  necessary  to  effect  so  general  a change  of  pub- 
lic sentiment,  a considerable  portion  of  the  people 
would  have  reconstructed  neighborhood  society  by  vol- 


228 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


untary  association,  in  such  a manner  as  nearly  to  do 
away  intemperance,  idleness,  debauchery,  miseducation, 
poverty  and  brutality,  and  to  insure  the  requisite  in- 
ducements, means  and  opportunities  for  great  self-im- 
provement and  social  usefulness.  The  consequence 
would  be  that  very  few  poor  creatures  would  remain 
without  a strong  moral  guardianship  of  wise  and  true 
friends  to  look  after  their  welfare.  Wholesome  cure 
would  be  applied  with  vast  success  to  the  ignorant  and 
vicious,  and  at  the  same  time  powerful  preventives  be- 
yond estimation  applied  to  the  new-born  generation. 
Under  such  circumstances,  suppose  a truly  Christian 
government  to  administer  the  general  affairs  of  the 
several  states  and  of  the  nation.  How  little  would 
they  have  to  do,  how  well  might  they  perform  that 
little,  and  how  trifling  would  be  the  burdens  of  it  either 
to  officers  or  people?  It  would  hardly  require  hun- 
dreds of  millions  of  dollars  to  carry  such  a government 
through  a single  year.  They  would  not  expend  eighty 
per  cent,  of  all  their  receipts  on  ships  of  war,  forts, 
arsenals,  troops,  &c.,  &c.  If  they  expended  half  this 
sum  on  the  reformation  of  the  few  remaining  vicious, 
the  right  education  of  youth,  and  the  encouragement 
of  virtue  among  the  whole  people,  their  work  would  be 
cut  short  in  righteousness.  If  here  and  there  a disord- 
erly individual  broke  over  the  bounds  of  decency,  the 
whole  force  of  renovated  public  sentiment  would  sur- 
round and  press  in  upon  him  like  the  waters  of  the 
ocean,  and  slight  uninjurious  force  would  prevent  per- 
sonal outrage  in  the  most  extreme  cases.  And  every 
day  the  causes  of  such  extreme  cases  would  be  under- 
going the  process  of  annihilation.  Meantime  England, 
and  the  other  great  nations,  between  whom  and  our- 
selves there  is  such  a frequent  and  increasing  familiar- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


229 


ity  of  intercourse,  would  vie  with  ours,  not  which 
should  have  the  strongest  army  and  navy,  and  be  able 
to  do  the  most  mischief,  but  which  should  lead  off  in 
the  glorious  work  of  reforming,  improving  and  blessing 
the  human  race.  Patriotism  would  then  no  longer  strut 
in  regimentals,  recount  its  ruffian  exploits,  and  provoke 
quarrels  with  fellow  men  for  the  crime  of  having  been 
born  over  sea  or  on  the  other  side  a mountain  or  river. 
It  would  glory  in  superior  justice,  forbearance,  meek- 
ness, forgiveness — charity.  O glorious  era,  I see  thee 
coming  to  smile  on  my  country  and  the  world.  Thou 
art  advancing  in  silent  majesty  on  the  remote  verge  of 
the  blue  horizon.  Clouds  of  dust  intervene  between 
thee  and  the  uncouth  present.  They  conceal  thee  from 
the  gaze  of  the  boisterous  and  bustling  multitude.  The 
prophets  even  can  but  dimly  discern  thy  beautiful  out- 
line. But  thou  art  drawing  nearer.  Angels  are  thy 
heralds.  The  morning  stars  are  singing  together  in  thy 
train,  and  the  sons  of  God  shout  for  joy.  In  due  time 
the  heaven  shall  kiss  the  earth  in  thy  presence,  and  the 
earth  shall  be  restored  to  the  bliss  of  heaven ! 

VIEW  OF  PRESENT  ORDER  OF  THINGS,  AND  REMEDIES. 

But  we  must  turn  back  from  this  vision  and  listen 
again  to  the  scoffs  of  skepticism,  the  growls  of  frown- 
ing bigotry,  and  the  jargon  of  Babylon  the  great.  We 
must  hear  those  who  make  the  sword,  the  gibbet  and 
the  dungeon  their  gods,  denounce  the  doctrines  of 
mercy,  and  extol  the  efficacy  of  cruelty.  “The  world  is 
full  of  criminals,”  say  they,  “horrid  criminals,  ravening 
like  wolves  for  the  prey,  and  it  is  presumption  to  think 
of  trusting  to  love,  mercy,  forbearance  and  uninjurious 
restraints.  The  wicked  must  be  slain.  The  unprincipled 
must  be  threatened  with  destruction.  The  lawless  must 


230 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


be  held  at  bay  by  the  terrors  of  the  halter  and  the  cell. 
Mankind  are  too  depraved  to  be  held  and  treated  as 
brethren.  ’ This  is  the  language  of  many  professedly 
wise  and  upright  men  in  what  are  falsely  supposed  to 
be  the  first  ranks  of  society.  But  it  is  the  language  of 
men  who  need  to  be  born  again  before  they  can  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God — Pharisees  and  Sadducees, 
haughty  religionists  and  moralists,  who  know  not  their 
own  hearts,  nor  “what  manner  of  spirit  they  are  of.” 
They  look  not  into  the  causes  of  crime.  They  feel  not 
for  their  fellow  creatures,  who  were  born  and  have 
lived  under  the  worst  possible  circumstances.  They  see 
not  that  nine-tenths  of  the  crimes  of  those  whom  they 
glory  in  bringing  to  punishment,  might  have  been  pre- 
vented, had  good  people,  so  called,  been  good  enough 
to  care  for  others  beyond  the  precincts  of  their  own 
blood  relationship.  They  themselves  are  great  sinners 
and  need  great  mercy ; yet  they  have  little  compassion 
on  their  fellow  sinners  of  a lower  grade.  They  live  in 
a sort  of  conventional  decency  and  imagine  it  to  be  true 
morality.  They  are  clothed  with  the  fashionable  gar- 
ments of  a superfine  selfishness,  and  vainly  imagine 
themselves  acceptable  to  God.  They  are  supremely 
covetous  of  this  world’s  goods  and  revel  in  the  midst  of 
extravagance,  yet  think  only  of  the  guilt  and  deserved 
punishment  of  thieves  and  robbers.  Let  them  spare 
their  maledictions  against  the  punishable  class  of  their 
fellow  creatures.  Let  each  one  of  them  seriously  ask 
the  following  questions : 

“How  much  better  am  I by  nature  than  these  mur- 
derers, robbers,  thieves,  and  wretched  culprits  whom  I 
so  much  detest  ? Had  I been  born  of  their  parents,  been 
brought  up  as  they  were  brought  up,  been  neglected  by 
the  better  classes  as  they  were  neglected,  been  tempted 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


231 


as  they  have  been  tempted,  and  been  treated  as  they 
have  been  treated,  should  I have  been  at  this  moment 
what  I am  ? Should  I not  have  been  one  among  them, 
hated  and  hunted  down  as  a hopeless  reprobate?  How 
much  attention  have  I given,  in  my  whole  life,  to  the 
consideration  of  the  causes  -which  make  one  person  to 
differ  from  another?  How  much  time  have  I spent  in 
earnest  endeavors  to  prevent  my  fellow  creatures  from 
falling  into  these  crimes,  in  educating  them  while  chil- 
dren, providing  them  a good  home  of  industry  and 
comfort  in  youth  and  in  inducing  them  in  mature  age  to 
lead  orderly  lives?  How  much  thought,  how  much 
affection,  how  much  time,  how  much  money,  have  I 
devoted  to  such  purposes  ? Have  I considered  these 
things,  and  brought  up  my  family  to  consider  them  ? 
Have  I proposed  them  to  my  neighbors  ? Have  I 
brought  them  before  my  religious  or  literary  associates  ? 
Have  I tried  by  precept,  persuasion  and  example  to 
unite  my  friends  in  preventing  pauperism,  vice  and 
crime?  Or  have  I thought  chiefly  of  deterring  and  pun- 
ishing crime  ? Have  I been  spending  nearly  all  my  at- 
tention and  efforts  on  myself  and  my  own  family,  to 
obtain  wealth,  distinction,  fame,  self-aggrandizement 
and  self-indulgence?  Have  I not  been  living  all  this 
time  to  myself,  and  for  my  own  little  circle  of  rela- 
tions and  friends?  What  has  my  religion  done  towards 
making  me  a Christian  after  the  pattern  of  Jesus  ? What 
has  my  morality  amounted  to  but  worldly  decency  ? 
And  have  I not  done  some  things,  in  secret,  in  spite  of 
all  my  religion  and  morality,  which  if  known  to  the 
world  would  plunge  me  into  the  depths  of  disgrace? 
What  have  I to  boast  of?  Why  am  I so  intent  on 
punishing  instead  of  forgiving  and  reforming  my  less 
fortunate  fellow  sinners!”  Would  not  such  a self-ex- 


232 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


animation  as  this  essentially  humble  and  chasten  many 
a self-righteous  soul? 

The  truth  is,  if  one-hundredth  part  of  what  the  better 
classes  of  society  now  acquire  contrary  to  the  law  of 
love  and  expend  on  themselves  to  their  positive  hurt, 
were  faithfully  devoted  to  the  prevention  and  reforma- 
tion of  crime,  scarce  an  offender  would  remain  in  so- 
ciety. If  no  more  than  what  is  expended  in  detecting, 
trying  and  punishing  criminals,  were  judiciously  applied 
to  this  work  of  prevention  and  reformation  it  would 
accomplish  ten  times  more  for  society  than  it  now  does. 
But  alas,  as  undertakers  live  and  flourish  by  burying 
the  dead,  so  there  are  not  a few  in  the  present  organi- 
zation of  society  who  live  by  hunting  and  punishing 
criminals.  And  yet  many  of  the  worst  offenders  lux- 
uriate in  perfect  impunity,  fortified  by  bulwarks  im- 
pregnable to  the  penal  laws.  At  the  same  time  the 
ordinary  acquisition  of  property  by  what  are  called  the 
better  classes,  the  criers  out  for  “punishment,  punish- 
ment/ is  only  a fashionable  species  of  gambling  and 
extortion,  in  which  the  cunning,  the  fortunate  and  the 
unscrupulous  carry  off  the  stakes  amid  the  perpetual 
grumblings  of  the  unlucky  losers.  Besides  this,  intem- 
perance and  licentiousness  are  permitted  to  allure  mil- 
lions through  their  licensed  portals  to  the  chambers  of 
hell ; and  slavery  shakes  her  whips  and  chains  over  a 
sixth  portion  of  a professedly  free  people,  under  the 
protection  of  our  star-spangled  banner!  Is  it  any  won- 
der that  such  a state  of  things,  such  a religion,  such  a 
morality,  such  unbridled  acquisitiveness,  such  selfish- 
ness, and  such  oppression  of  the  governing  portion, 
should  breed,  foster  and  perpetuate  all  manner  of  vice 
and  crime  in  the  under  classes  of  society ? Not  at  all. 

Therefore,  Christian  non-resistance  protests  against 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


233 


the  wickedness  of  the  punishing  as  well  as  the  punished 
classes.  It  proposes  and  insists  on  a radical  reform. 
And  when  this  reform  shall  have  gone  forward  to  a 
certain  point,  a government  untainted  by  military 
power  or  penal  injury  will  be  both  practicable  and  cer- 
tain. To  show  that  such  a government  is  possible,  I 
will  now  present  a clear,  discriminating,  irrefutable 
extract  from  M.  Guizot,  prime  minister  of  France. 

EXTRACT  FROM  M.  GUIZOT’S  LECTURES. 

“Is  it  not  forming  a gross  and  degrading  idea  of  gov- 
ernment to  suppose  that  it  resides  only,  to  suppose 
that  it  resides  chiefly,  in  the  force  which  it  exercises  to 
make  itself  obeyed  in  its  coercive  element? 

“Let  us  quit  religion,  for  a moment,  and  turn  to  civil 
government.  Trace  with  me,  I beseech  you,  the  simple 
march  of  circumstances.  Society  exists.  Something  is 
to  be  done,  no  matter  what,  in  its  name  and  for  its 
interest ; a law  has  to  be  executed,  some  measure  to  be 
adopted,  a judgment  to  be  pronounced.  Now,  certainly, 
there  is  a proper  method  of  supplying  the  social  wants ; 
there  is  a proper  law  to  make,  a proper  measure  to 
adopt,  a proper  judgment  to  pronounce.  Whatever  may 
be  the  matter  in  hand,  whatever  may  be  the  interest  in 
question,  there  is,  upon  every  occasion,  a truth  which 
must  be  discovered,  and  which  ought  to  decide  the  mat- 
ter, and  govern  the  conduct  to  be  adopted. 

“The  first  business  of  government  is  to  seek  this 
truth;  is  to  discover  what  is  just,  reasonable  and  suit- 
able to  society.  When  this  is  found,  it  is  proclaimed: 
the  next  business  is  to  introduce  it  to  the  public  mind ; 
to  get  it  approved  by  the  men  upon  whom  it  is  to  act ; 
to  persuade  them  that  it  is  reasonable.  In  all  this,  is 
there  anything  coercive?  Not  at  all.  Suppose  now 


234 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


that  the  truth  which  ought  to  decide  upon  the  affair 
(no  matter  what;)  suppose,  I say,  that  the  truth  being 
found  and  proclaimed,  all  understandings  should  be  at 
once  convinced ; all  wills  at  once  determined ; that  all 
should  acknowledge  that  the  government  was  right, 
and  obey  it  spontaneously.  There  is  nothing  yet  of 
compulsion,  no  occasion  for  the  employment  of  force. 
Does  it  follow,  then,  that  a government  does  not  exist  ? 
Is  there  nothing  of  government  in  all  this?  To  be  sure 
there  is,  and  it  has  accomplished  its  task.  Compulsion 
appears  not  till  the  resistance  of  individuals  calls  for  it 
— till  the  idea,  the  decision  which  authority  has  adopted, 
fails  to  obtain  the  approbation  or  the  voluntary  submis- 
sion of  all.  Then  government  employs  force  to  make 
itself  obeyed.  This  is  a necessary  consequence  of  hu- 
man imperfection ; an  imperfection  which  resides  as 
well  in  power  as  in  society.  There  is  no  way  of  entirely 
avoiding  this ; civil  governments  will  always  be  obliged 
to  have  recourse,  in  a certain  degree,  to  compulsion. 
Still  it  is  evident  they  are  not  made  up  of  compulsion, 
because,  whenever  they  can,  they  are  glad  to  do  with- 
out it,  to  the  great  blessing  of  all ; and  their  highest 
point  of  perfection  is  to  be  able  to  discard  it  and  trust 
to  means  purely  moral,  to  their  influence  upon  the  un- 
derstanding; so  that,  in  proportion  as  government  can 
dispense  with  compulsion  and  force,  the  more  faithful 
it  is  in  its  true  nature,  and  the  better  it  fulfils  the  pur- 
poses for  which  it  is  sent.  This  is  not  to  shrink,  this  is 
not  to  give  way,  as  people  commonly  cry  out;  it  is 
merely  acting  in  a different  manner,  in  a manner  more 
general  and  powerful.  Those  governments  which  em- 
ploy the  most  compulsion  perform  much  less  than  those 
which  scarcely  ever  have  recourse  to  it.  Government, 
by  addressing  itself  to  the  understanding,  by  engaging 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


235 


the  free  will  of  its  subjects,  by  acting  by  means  purely 
intellectual,  instead  of  contracting,  expands  and  ele- 
vates itself ; it  is  then  that  it  accomplishes  most  and 
attains  to  the  greatest  objects.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 
when  a government  is  obliged  to  be  constantly  employ- 
ing its  physical  arm  that  it  becomes  weak  and  restrained 
— that  it  does  little  and  does  that  little  badly. 

“The  essence  of  government  then  by  no  means  re- 
sides in  compulsion,  in  the  exercise  of  brute  force;  it 
consists  more  especially  of  a system  of  means  and 
powers,  conceived  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  upon 
all  occasions  what  is  best  to  done,  for  the  purpose  of 
discovering  the  truth  which  by  right  ought  to  govern 
society,  for  the  purpose  of  persuading  all  men  to  ac- 
knowledge this  truth,  to  adopt  and  respect  it  willingly 
and  freely.  Thus  I think  I have  shown  that  the  neces- 
sity for,  and  the  existence  of  a government,  are  very 
conceivable,  even  though  there  should  be  no  room  for 
compulsion,  even  though  it  should  be  absolutely  for- 
bidden.’’— History  of  Civilisation  in.  Europe,  Lecture  5. 

CONCLUSION. 

Is  this  satisfactory  ? Is  this  conclusive  ? It  ought  to 
be  so.'  It  is  not  the  language  of  a non-resistant  enthu- 
siast— a Utopian  dreamer — but  of  Monsieur  Guizot,  the 
intelligent  and  accomplished  prime  minister  of  Louis 
Phillipe.  Let  the  arrogant  contemners  of  the  idea  of  a 
pure  Christian  government  revolve  the  matter,  and  con- 
sider whether  their  skepticism  arises  out  of  knowledge 
or  ignorance?  To  a sound  mind  the  case  admits  of 
little  doubt.  The  great  prerequisite  to  the  establish- 
ment of  such  a government  has  already  been  pointed 
out.  It  is  religious,  moral  and  intellectual  reform 
among  the  people,  superinducing  in  them  a more  Chris- 


236 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


tian  faith,  a more  Christian  conscience,  a more  enlight- 
ened intellect,  and  a purer  morality.  This  noble  work 
non-resistance  espouses  and  will  unfalteringly  prose- 
cute to  its  blessed  consummation.  To  carry  it  forward 
the  faithful  will  lay  aside  pecuniary,  political,  military 
and  all  worldly  ambition — every  weight  that  encumbers 
— and  press  forward  to  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  their 
high  calling  in  Christ  Jesus ; despising  the  cross  and  en- 
during the  shame,  till  they  enter  into  his  glory  and  par- 
take of  the  true  majesty  of  his  kingdom.  He  is  King 
of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords ; and  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world  shall  at  length  become  his  in  righteousness  and 
peace. 

“I’ve  thought  at  gentle  and  ungentle  hour, 

Of  many  an  act  and  giant  shape  of  power; 

* * * * Of  bruised  rights,  and  flourishing  bad  men. 

And  virtue  wasting  heavenwards  from  a den : 

Brute  force,  and  fury,  and  the  devilish  drouth 
Of  the  foul  cannon’s  ever  gaping  mouth; 

And  the  bride-widowing  sword;  and  the  harsh  bray 
The  sneering  trumpet  sends  across  the  fray; 

And  all  which  blights  the  people-thinning  star 
That  selfishness  invokes — the  horsed  war, 

Panting  along  with  many  a bloody  mane : 

I’ve  thought  of  all  this  pride,  and  all  this  pain. 

And  all  the  insolent  plentitudes  of  power; 

And  I declare  by  this  most  quiet  hour, 

* * * that  power  itself  has  not  one  half  the  might 
Of  Gentleness.  ’Tis  want  to  all  true  wealth; 

The  uneasy  madman’s  force  to  the  wise  health ; 

Blind  downward  beating,  to  the  eyes  that  see ; 

Noise  to  persuasion,  doubt  to  certainty; 

The  consciousness  of  strength  in  enemies, 

Who  must  be  strained  upon,  or  else  they  rise ; 

* * * Or  as  all  shrieks  and  clangs,  with  which  a sphere 
Undone  and  fired,  could  rake  the  midnight  ear, 

Compared  with  that  vast  dumbness  nature  keeps 
Throughout  her  starry  deeps, 

Most  old,  and  mild,  and  awful,  and  unbroken, 

Which  tells  a tale  Of  Peace  beyond  what’er  was  spoken.” 

— Leigh  Hunt. 


238 


APPENDIX 


1 


PART  I 

APPENDIX 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

Adin  Ballou,  author  of  the  foregoing  treatise,  be- 
longed to  a family  widely  known  and  somewhat  dis- 
tinguished in  the  religious  history  of  this  country 
during  the  nineteenth  century,  especially  in  its  relation 
to  the  so-called  Universalist  Church,  one  of  his  distant 
cousins,  Hosea  Ballou,  being  generally  regarded  as  the 
most  prominent  exponent  and  leading  champion  in  his 
day  of  the  distinctive  form  of  faith  which  that  church 
represents,  while  quite  a number  of  his  other  kinsmen 
have  been  and  still  are  much  esteemed  and  highly  hon- 
ored members,  as  ministers  or  laymen,  of  the  same 
fellowship,  one  of  whom,  Hosea  Ballou,  2d,  a man  of 
superior  ability,  rare  culture  and  noble  character,  was 
the  first  president  of  Tufts  College,  honored  not  only 
by  his  immediate  associates  and  friends,  but  also  by 
Harvard  University,  which  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  M.A.  and  D.D.  and  which  he  served  for  many 
years  as  a member  of  its  Board  of  Overseers. 

Adin  Ballou  was  a descendant  in  the  fifth  generation 
of  Maturin  Ballou,  the  immigrant  ancestor  of  all  bear- 
ing the  family  name  in  America,  a French  Protestant, 
it  is  said,  who  came  to  this  country  about  1640  and  was 
associated  with  Roger  Williams  in  the  founding  of 
Providence,  R.  I.,  and  the  son  of  Ariel  and  Edilda 
(Tower)  Ballou,  of  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  where  he  was 
born,  April  23,  1803.  He  grew  up  after  the  common 
manner  of  high-minded  farmer’s  sons  of  those  days 
(his  father  being  a typical  New  England  yeoman),  with 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR  239 


plenty  of  work  suited  to  his  age,  and  few  educational 
advantages  of  any  sort  His  mind  was  active  and 
thoughtful  from  early  childhood,  and  a thirst  for  knowl- 
edge seemed  to  be  innate  with  him.  In  his  youth  he 
earnestly  desired  a liberal  education,  but  circumstances 
restricted  him  to  the  limited  privileges  of  the  ordinary 
public  school.  These  he  sedulously  improved,  endeav- 
oring to  make  up  for  his  privation  by  diligently  search- 
ing for  knowledge  wherever  he  thought  it  might  be 
found,  and  by  subjecting  himself  to  a careful  discipline 
of  his  mental  powers — a practice  he  followed  through 
life. 

He  was  naturally  disposed  to  religious  emotions  and 
impressions,  and  when  eleven  years  of  age  was  the 
subject  of  an  experience  of  that  sort  the  influence  of 
which  upon  his  character  and  life  was  most  salutary  and 
continuous,  even  to  the  end  of  his  mortal  pilgrimage. 
A year  later  he  was  baptized  by  immersion  and  received 
into  a church  in  his  neighborhood  belonging  to  the  so- 
called  “Christian  Connexion,”  a small  division  of  the 
general  Baptist  ecclesiastical  body  located  mostly  in 
Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut.  When  he  was  about 
eighteen  he  had  a spiritual  vision,  as  he  termed  it,  re- 
quiring him  imperatively  to  preach  the  gospel.  From 
this  he  shrank  most  decisively  as  thwarting  his  fondly- 
cherished  worldly  plans,  but  at  length  reluctantly  con- 
sented from  an  overmastering  sense  of  duty,  preaching 
his  first  sermon  from  the  text  “Necessity  is  laid  upon 
me;  yea,  woe  is  unto  me  if  I preach  not  the  gospel.” 
He  had  received  no  training  for  such  service  and  spoke 
chiefly  from  inward  inspiration.  But  so  impressed 
were  the  multitudes  who  heard  him,  and  especially 
those  of  the  church  to  which  he  belonged,  that  he  soon 
after  accepted  a formal  call  to  the  ministry  of  that 


240  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR 

church,  an  arrangement  which  continued  for  about  a 
year.  It  was  one  of  the  dogmas  of  that  communion 
that  all  who  died  out  of  Christ  or  “the  finally  unpeni- 
tent,” as  the  saying  went,  would  be  sentenced  at  the 
judgment  to  a punishment  ending  at  length  in  their 
destruction  or  utter  annihilation  ; and  to  this  dogma 
he  gave  his  unqualified  assent.  But  the  reading  of  a 
work  on  the  doctrine  of  the  ultimate  restoration  of  all 
souls  to  holiness  and  happiness,  and  the  profound  study 
of  the  subject  induced  thereby,  led  him  to  abandon  the 
former  belief  for  the  latter,  which  brought  him  into 
very  close  sympthy  with  the  then  growing  Universalis! 
movement,  to  which  he  had  been  previously  most 
strongly,  not  to  say  bitterly,  opposed.  Being  strictly 
honest  and  true  to  his  convictions  he  openly  avowed 
his  change  of  opinion  upon  the  subject.  Whereupon 
his  church  associates,  his  own  father  being  foremost 
among  them,  rose  in  protest  against  him,  at  length 
ejecting  him  from  the  ministerial  office  after  having 
served  in  it  scarcely  a year.  His  newly-accepted  views 
and  the  sympathies  engendered  by  them  inclined  him 
strongly  towards  the  Universalists  in  spite  of  his  former 
repugnance  to  them,  and  he  was  soon  drawn  almost 
irrestibility  into  their  followship.  They  very  naturally 
hailed  the  accession  to  their  numbers  with  unbounded 
delight. 

But  while  in  happy  accord  with  his  new  coadjutors 
in  regard  to  the  great  question  of  the  final  destiny  of  all 
souls — of  the  ultimate  outcome  of  things  in  the  moral 
and  spiritual  universe  under  the  government  of  an  in- 
finitely powerful,  wise  and  good  God,  to  wit,  universal 
holiness  and  happiness,  he  found  that  he  was  quite  at 
variance  with  many  of  them,  and  especially  with  their 
leaders  in  respect  to  the  doctrine  of  future  retribution — 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR  241 


a doctrine  which  he  regarded  as  of  very  great  import- 
ance in  its  bearing  upon  human  character  and  conduct, 
and  which  he  therefore  proclaimed  in  his  public  min- 
istrations, but  which  many  of  his  brethren  repudiated 
with  something  like  contempt  of  it  and  of  its  advocates. 
This  soon  caused  friction  between  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  and  them,  which  increased  as  time  went  on  and 
which,  with  the  dogmatism  and  intolerance  of  those 
opposed  to  him,  who  seemed  to  dominate  the  great  body 
of  the  Denomination,  at  length  led  him.  in  fidelity  to  his 
deep-rooted  convictions  of  truth  and  duty,  to  sever  his 
ecclesiastical  relations  at  the  expiration  of  about  ten 
years  of  nominal  fellowship,  and  in  co-operation  with 
a dozen  or  more  others  of  similar  views  and  feelings, 
to  organize  what  was  called  “The  Massachusetts  Asso- 
ciation of  Independent  Restorationists.”  The  members 
of  this  organization  sympathized  and  fraternized  with 
a section  of  the  Unitarian  denomination,  with  which 
they  ultimately  become  organically  affiliated,  the  Res- 
toration^ Association  having  been  dissolved. 

About  this  time  the  subject  of  this  sketch  became 
very  deeply  interested  in  the  practical  nature  of  Chris- 
tianity and  especially  in  its  bearing  upon  human  char- 
acter and  human  life  in  its  various  relations  and  mani- 
festations. This  prepared  and  predisposed  him  to  ex- 
amine and,  after  examination,  to  recognize  the  claims 
made  by  their  advocates  in  behalf  of  the  great,  leading 
reforms  of  the  day,  temperance,  anti-slavery,  the  rights 
Tof  woman,  peace  and,  finally,  social  reform,  each  and 
all  of  which  he  at  length  heartily  espoused,  becoming  a 
consistent  exponent  and  an  earnest  and  eloquent  cham- 
pion of  them  all.  As  time  went  on  his  interest  and 
thought  seemed  to  center  in  and  fasten  upon  the  matter 
of  social  reorganization,  which  he  was  pleased  to  name 


242  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  TPIE  AUTHOR 

“Practical  Christian  Socialism,’  deeming  it  inclusive  of 
all  other  needed  reforms  and  regarding  it  as  the  effect- 
ive way  by  which  the  divine  kingdom  was  to  come  into 
the  world  and  the  will  of  God  to  be  done  “on  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven."  So  fully  persuaded  was  he  of  this' 
and  so  strong  was  his  faith  in  the  beneficent  results 
to  humanity  that  would  follow  the  exemplification 
of  the  principles  of  Practical  Christian  Socialism  in 
actual  life,  that  he  projected  and,  as  leader  of  a goodly 
number  of  others — men  and  women — of  like  faith, 
founded  in  the  town  of  Milford,  Mass.,  “The  Hope- 
dale  Community,”  which  was  designed  under  the  gene- 
ral system  of  reconstructed  society  formulated  by  him, 
to  be  the  forerunner  and  the  inspirer  of  an  indefinite 
number  of  similar  enterprises  scattered  here  and  there 
throughout  the  land,  and  possibly  all  over  the  globe. 

This  experiment  failing  of  the  success  that  was  anti- 
cipated, its  characteristic  industrial  feature  being  aban- 
doned some  fifteen  years  after  it  was  started,  while  its 
moral  and  religious  interests  were  at  a later  day  merged 
in  what  was  termed  “the  Hopedale  Parish,  ’ a constitu- 
ent of  the  Unitarian  branch  of  the  Christian  church. 
Mr.  Ballou  received  and  accepted  a call  to  the  pastor- 
ate of  the  parish.  In  that  position  he  remained  till 
1880,  when  failing  health  and  the  infirmities  of  age 
induced  him  to  resign  his  position  and  retire  from  the 
active  duties  of  his  profession,  only  as  occasional  calls 
for  ministerial  services,  which  he  did  not  feel  obliged 
to  decline,  were  made  upon  him.  And  these  occurred 
almost  to  the  end  of  his  days. 

After  the  dissolution  of  the  Community  at  Hopedale, 
he  spent  most  of  the  time  that  could  be  spared  from 
professional  duties  in  literary  pursuits.  He  prepared 
several  works  for  the  press,  notably  among  which  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH' OF  THE  AUTHOR  243 


a “History  of  the  town  of  Milford,”  a royal  octavo 
volume  of  1,150  pages,  and  an  elaborate  “History  of  the 
Ballous  in  America,”  a similar  work  of  1,325  pages. 
He  also  wrote  a “History  of  the  Hopedale  Commu- 
nity,” an  autobiography,  and  Volumes  II  and  III  of  a 
work  entitled  “Primitive  Christianity  and  its  Corrup- 
tions” (the  first  volume  of  which  had  been  published  in 
1870)  to  be  put  in  print  after  his  decease,  which  has 
been  accordingly  done,  the  books  having  been  widely 
distributed  in  theological  and  college  libraries  through- 
out the  United  States.  He  was  at  an  earlier  day  the 
author  of  several  published  works,  among  which  were 
“Christian  Non-resistance,”  “Spirit  Manifestations,” 
“Memoir  of  his  son,  Adin  Augustus  Ballou,”  also  a 
large  volume  of  650  pages  entitled  “Practical  Chris- 
tian Socialism,"  an  exposition  of  the  principles  involved 
in  that  science,  and  a presentation  of  methods  by  which 
this  principle  could  be  illustrated  in  the  actual  life  of 
communities,  states  and  nations.  He  was  also  the  com- 
piler of  “The  Hopedale  Hymn  Book”  and  the  author  of 
“The  Monitorial  Guide”  to  be  used  in  social  religious 
meetings  and  elsewhere,  as  an  aid  to  devotion  and  the 
higher  life  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  men.  The 
number  of  tracts,  pamphlets,  etc.,  of  a religious  and  re- 
formatory character  that  came  from  his  pen  at  irregu- 
lar intervals,  as  occasion  or  inclination  suggested,  be- 
ginning early  in  life  and  continuing  almost  to  the  end, 
was  large  and  not  easily  estimated,  no  record  of  them 
having  been  preserved. 

Adin  Ballou  was  twice  married.  First  to  Abigail 
Sayler,  of  Smithfield,  R.  I.,  in  1822.  She  bore  him  two 
children,  a son  who  died  in  childhood,  and  a daughter 
still  living,  the  wife  of  Rev.  William  S.  Heywood,  a 
Unitarian  minister  of  Dorchester,  Mass.  The  mother 


244  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR 

died  in  1829,  and  the  husband  married,  second,  Lucy 
Hunt,  of  Milford,  Mass.  She  had  two  children,  sons, 
the  older  of  whom,  Pearly  Hunt,  died  when  two  years 
and  three  months  old ; the  other,  Adin  Augustus,  richly 
endowed  by  nature  with  qualities  of  mind,  heart  and 
character,  which,  as  he  grew  in  years,  won  the  love,  the 
confidence  and  the  admiration  of  all  who  knew  him, 
and  gave  promise  of  eminent  usefulness  and  a most 
honorable  career  in  the  world,  was  in  the  bloom  of 
opening  manhood  stricken  with  a fatal  disease  which, 
in  a few  days,  put  an  end  to  his  mortal  existence,  to  the 
unutterable  sorrow  of  his  family  and  a host  of  devoted 
and  appreciative  friends. 

Mr.  Ballou  passed  away  on  the  5th  of  August,  1890, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  three  months 
and  fifteen  days.  His  wife,  with  whom  he  had  lived 
in  tender,  sacred  companionship  more  than  sixty  years, 
survived  him  but  a year  and  two  days,  dying  August 
7,  1891,  aged  seventy  years,  nine  months  and  eight 
days. 

Mr.  Ballou’s  faith  in  non-resistance,  or  radical  peace 
principles,  never  gave  way  nor  faltered  as  long  as  he 
'ived,  but  grew  stronger  and  more  assured  with  every 
passing  year;  and,  while  health  and  strength  permitted, 
he  expounded,  defended  and  promulgated  those  princi- 
ples, as  far  as  possible,  by  the  agency  of  the  printing 
press  and  in  public  addresses,  whenever  opportunity 
offered  or  occasion  seemed  to  require.  In  1865  he 
presided  over  the  meeting  in  Boston  at  which  “the 
Universal  Peace  Union”  was  organized ; and,  though 
feeling  obliged  to  decline  the  permanent  presidency 
of  the  new  association,  made  an  able,  eloquent  and 
most  admirable  speech  in  support  of  its  declared  prin- 
ciples and  objects,  with  which  he  was  in  most  hearty 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR  245 


sympathy  and  accord;  as  he  continued  to  be  to  the 
end  of  his  days : retaining  his  membership  in  it,  speak- 
ing from  time  to  time  at  its  meetings,  contributing  to 
its  funds,  and  otherwise  giving  it  the  countenance  and 
support  which  he  felt  it  so  richly  deserved.  He  appre- 
ciated the  grand  and  noble  work  it  was  doing,  under 
the  direction  of  its  honored  president,  his  valued 
friend,  Mr.  Alfred  H.  Love,  and  efficient  Board  of 
Managers,  for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  in  which 
he  had  such  profound  interest,  and  for  the  promotion 
of  which  he  had  labored  with  untiring  devotion  and 
zeal  during  the  greater  portion  of  his  long  and  con- 
stantly active  life. 


246 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


PART  II 

APPENDIX 

THE  HIGHER  PATRIOTISM  AND  ITS  RE- 
LATION TO  THE  CAUSE  OF 
UNIVERSAL  PEACE. 

By  Rev.  William  S.  Heywood, 

DORCHESTER,  MASS. 

“It  is  not  that  I love  country  less  but  humanity  more 
that  ...  I plead  the  cause  of  a higher  and  truer 
Patriotism.” — Charles  Sumner. 

“There  is  no  Patriotism  so  coherent  and  mighty  as 
that  which  stands  conformed  to  the  boundless  Brother- 
hood of  the  Gospel.  That  Gospel  makes  all  human 
slaughter  fratricidal.” — 'Mishop  F.  D.  Huntington. 

The  essentially  wicked  and  reprehensible  character 
of  the  great  War  System  of  the  world,  as  it  has  ex- 
isted and  displayed  itself  in  all  past  ages,  is  revealed 
not  only  in  the  more  open  and  violent  manifestations 
of  its  devastating  power  but  in  the  subtle,  malarious 
influence  it  has  diffused  through  almost  every  depart- 
ment of  human  experience.  While  it  has  disturbed 
the  otherwise  quiet  and  orderly  processes  of  domestic, 
social  and  civil  life,  destroyed  the  fruits  of  human 
genius  and  toil  accumulated  through  long  generations, 
laid  waste  cities  and  provinces  without  number,  armed 
men  with  deadly  weapons  and  sent  them  forth  to  man- 
gle and  destroy  their  fellow-men,  strewn  fair  and  fer- 
tile fields  with  the  ghastly  bodies  of  the  dying  and  the 
dead,  drenched  the  earth  again  and  again  with  human 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


247 


blood,  and  multiplied  many  fold  the  agonies  and  tears 
of  mankind,  it  has  also  woefully  perverted  the  better 
instincts  of  the  human  heart,  demoralized  most  griev- 
ously both  private  and  public  character,  corrupted  the 
fountains  of  human  thought,  and  vitiated  the  very  airs 
that  nourish  and  renew  the  vital  energies  of  the  world. 
The  pages  of  literature,  which  is  the  proper  treasure- 
house  of  culture,  refinement,  virtue  and  piety,  have 
been  debased  and  polluted  by  it,  and  history,  which 
should  be  a trustworthy  record  of  humanity’s  progress 
from  the  earliest  known  date  and  the  causes  thereof, 
with  the  method  of  their  operation,  has,  for  the  most 
part,  been  one  long-drawn-out  book  of  Chronicles,  tell- 
ing of  the  marshaling  and  going  forth  of  armies  and 
navies,  of  battles  and  sieges,  of  defeats  suffered  and 
victories  won,  while  the  great  intellectual,  moral  and 
spiritual  forces  and  agencies,  ordained  of  God  for  the 
enlightenment,  elevation  and  redemption  of  the  race, 
have  been  either  wholly  unrecognized  and  unrecorded 
or  remanded  to  a subordinate  place  in  the  classification. 

Moreover,  under  the  satanic  enchantment  of  the  in- 
iquitous system,  the  ordinary  forms  of  human  speech 
have  been  grossly  perverted  or  robbed  of  their  highest 
meaning,  words  and  phrases  being  misused  or  inter- 
preted by  the  light  of  its  baleful  fires,  and  so  made 
to  beguile  the  unthinking  mind  and  minster  to  its  own 
unhallowed  purposes  and  aims.  Thus  courage,  heroism, 
honor,  patriotism,  words  of  intrinsic  worth  and  power, 
are  not  infrequently  disassociated  from  the  common 
virtues  or  duties  of  life  where  they  justly  belong, 
forming  as  they  do  an  essential  part  of  a well-balanced 
character,  and  where  they  find  ample  field  for  laud- 
able and  even  glorious  exemplification,  and  are  em- 
ployed to  represent  distinctively  soldierly  attributes, 


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CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


martial  prowess  and  valor,  as  their  chief  and  most 
signal  if  not  only  worthy  mode  of  expression.  That  is, 
with  many  people,  blinded  by  the  deceitful  glamor  of 
militarism  to  the  true  significance  of  the  terms  named, 
the  qualities  they  stand  for  are  of  little  account,  save 
as  displayed  mid  scenes  of  mortal  combat  and  drip 
with  the  blood  of  wounded  and  slaughtered  men.  Even 
such  grandly  important  words  as  right,  duty,  responsi- 
iblity,  are  often  despoiled  of  their  intrinsic  moral  qual- 
ity by  the  same  deceitful  sorcery  and  given  a merely 
conventional  or  political  meaning,  expressive  only  of 
fealty  to  the  existing  civil  order  or  system  of  govern- 
ment, irrespective  of  its  form,  character  or  require- 
ments, be  they  just  or  unjust,  righteous  or  wicked, 
when  tested  by  the  eternal  standards  of  ethics  and 
religion.  In  this  way  an  idol  of  purely  human  manu- 
facture is  “exalted  above  all  that  is  called  God,”  and 
made  an  object  of  supreme  allegiance  in  place  of  the 
infinite  One  whose  right  it  is  to  rule  and  to  whom  all 
such  allegiance  is  forever  due — an  act  of  gross  impiety 
if  not  of  blasphemy.  It  is. to  rescue  these  terms  from 
the  misconception  and  abuse  to  which  they  have  thus 
been  subjected  in  popular  estimation  that  I take  the 
last  and  chiefest  of  them,  Patriotism,  which  in  some 
proper  sense  may  be  understood  as  representing  the 
others,  and  make  it  the  special  theme  of  consideration 
on  the  present  occasion. 

What  we  dignify  by  the  name  Patriotism,  defined  in 
our  dictionaries  as  love  of  country,  is,  I take  it,  a 
native  instinct  or  sentiment  of  the  human  heart,  the 
spontaneous  outcome  of  impulses  or  affections  that 
antedate  all  nurture  and  training,  of  whose  beginning 
memory  preserves  no  record,  and  of  whose  existence 
philosophy  offers  no  explanation,  except  that  it  is  an 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


249 


original  part  of  the  constitution  of  man.  It  is  natural 
for  one  to  feel  the  pulsations  of  this  instinct  or  senti- 
ment in  the  breast;  and  so,  being  of  an  elementary 
character  and  not  a creation  of  art  or  tradition,  it  has 
the  merit  of  universality,  is  not  of  local  or  temporary 
manifestation,  characterizes  no  one  class  or  condition 
of  people,  knows  no  distinction  of  race,  color  or  nation- 
ality. It  exists  more  or  less  active  among  the  rude 
tribes  of  the  forest ; it  is  found  a ruling  motive  among 
the  most  civilized  of  the  children  of  men.  It  mani- 
fested itself  in  the  remotest  periods  of  history;  it  was 
never  more  in  evidence  than  it  is  today,  under  all  skies, 
wherever  human  beings  dwell. 

“Man,  through  all  ages  of  revolving  time — 
Unchanging  man,  in  every  varying  clime, 

Deems  his  own  land  of  every  land  the  pride 
Beloved  by  heaven  o’er  all  the  world  beside.” 

The  ancient  Jews  thought  that  Canaan  was  most 
highly  favored  of  Jehovah  and  Mt.  Zion,  around  which 
their  history  and  their  piety  revolved,  nearest  His 
throne.  The  Greeks  of  old  regarded  their  Olympus  the 
dwelling  place  of  the  gods,  and  hence  the  choicest  spot 
beneath  the  stars.  So  the  early  Romans  felt  that  their 
great  empire  was  nobler  than  all  others  and  their  capital 
city  the  grandest  in  the  world. . In  more  modern  times 
the  German  sings  praises  to  his  fatherland;  the  French- 
man exults  in  the  charms  of  his  native  valleys  and 
vine-clad  hills,  under  whatsoever  government  he  lives ; 
the  storm-swept  mountains  of  Switzerland  have  an 
unsurpassed  grandeur  for  those  dwelling  perpetually 
in  their  presence;  and  the  subjects  of  Victoria’s  widely 
extended  rule,  consider  their  own  Albion,  as  they  do 
her  Majesty,  worthy  of  profound  esteem.  The  Lap- 
lander, whose  home  is  amid  scenes  of  never-failing 


250 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


snow  and  ice,  can  with  difficulty  be  lured  to  more  genial 
latitudes,  while  the  American  Indian,  driven  from  the 
wilds  of  his  childhood  and  youth  by  the  white  man's 
greed  or  otherwise,  sighs  and  pants  for  his  familiar 
hunting  grounds  and  the  regions,  desolate  as  they  may 
be,  where  the  bones  of  his  ancestors  are  laid.  And  are 
you  and  I lacking  this,  same  impulsive  .sentiment  ? Do 
we  pay  no  spontaneous  tribute  of  the  heart  to  the  land 
in  which  we  were  born  and  within  whose  boundaries  it 
is  our  privilege  to  live,  to  work,  to  share  the  manifold 
blessings  of  existence,  to  serve  our  Maker  and  our 
fellow-men — - 

“Land  of  the  Pilgrim’s  pride,  land  where  our  fathers  died,” 

and  so  on  ? Who  does  not  feel  an  honest  delight  at  the 
thought  of  this  country  of  ours,  vast  in  extent,  wonder- 
ful in  the  variety,  beauty  and  grandeur  of  its  scenery, 
rich  in  resources  and  possibilities ; with  its  marvelous 
history,  its  sublime  ideals  of  liberty,  justice  and  human- 
ity, its  institutions  of  religion,  education  and  charity ; 
with  its  great  and  good  men  arid  women  who  have  lived 
and  are  living  to  make  the  world  better  and  to  bring 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven?  Despite' her  errors,  follies 
and  sins,  her  inhumanities  and  perfidies — not  few  nor 
far  between,  God  knows ; notwithstanding  these  things, 
not  to  be  justified,  condoned  or  palliated,  who  does  not 
feel  impelled  when  thoughts  of  his  country  and  all  it 
represents  come  trooping  through  his  mind,  to  exclaim 
in  grateful  gladness,  “O  land  of  mine,  America,  with 
all  thy  faults,  I love  thee  still.” 

Regarding  Patriotism  in  the  light  thus  thrown  upon 
it,  as  a native  instinct  of  the  human  heart,  and  there- 
fore to  be  not  only  innocently  but  joyfully  exercised 
and  employed,  I am  free  to  confess  that  I can  not  sym- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


251 


pathize  with  the  distrust  which  some  over-scrupulous 
peace  men  and  women  cherish  towards  it,  and  certainly 
not  with  that  feeling  of  opposition  and  reprobation 
with  which  it  is  contemplated  by  the  great  Russian 
reformer,  Count  Tolstoy,  who  characterizes  it  as  “a 
terrible  evil  and  supersition.”  “The  great  sorrow  of 
my  old  age,”  he  says,  “is  that  I have  not  succeeded  in 
communicating  to  my  brethren  the  truth,  which  I feel 
with  the  same  evidence  that  I feel  the  light  of  the  sun, 
that  Patriotism  must  lead  to  lies,  violence  and  murder ; 
and  not  only  to  the  loss  of  material  well-being,  but  to 
the  grossest  moral  depravation.”  “I  think  it  is  one  of 
the  most  dreadful  delusions  of  the  world.” 

For  reasons  already  indicated,  I count  this  a distorted 
view  of  the  subject,  as  unphilosophical  and  false  to 
human  nature  and  to  history  as  it  is  unsatisfactory  and 
misleading.  It  is  based,  it  seems  to  me,  not  upon  a 
comprehensive  study  of  the  subject,  but  upon  some  of 
its  lowest  and  most  reprehensible  manifestations;  upon 
those  acts  of  deceit,  oppression  and  cruelty  which,  in 
the  name  and  under  the  guise  of  Patriotism,  have  been 
perpetrated  in  his  own  and  other  lands,  in  times  of  both 
peace  and  war..  Just  as  Dr.  Johnson,  beholding  the 
chicanery,  fraud,  corruption  and  iniquity  practiced  in 
his  day  with  the  same  pretext,  was  moved  to.  declare 
that  “Patriotism  is  the  last  refuge  of  a scoundrel.” 

And  not  only  is  Patriotism  to  be  regarded  as  an  in- 
nate impulse  or  endowment  of  human  nature,  but  as 
one  of  the  strongest  and  most  commanding  of  its  capa- 
bilities, urging  to  the  greatest  sacrifices,  to  the  most 
heroic  endeavors,  to  the  grandest  achievements.  What 
have  not  men  dared,  what  have  they  not  done  under 
the  inspiration  and  motive  power  of  this  inborn  pas- 
sion, roused  from  its  constitutional  lethargy  to  energetic 


252 


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action,  for  the  accomplishment  of  some  real  or  sup- 
posed-to-be lofty  purpose  or  object!  This  has  been 
illustrated  in  times  of  war,  when,  at  the  sound  of  the 
trumpet,  men,  under  a sense  of  loyalty  to  their  country, 
have  rushed  forth  at  the  risk  of  life  and  of  all  that 
made  life  dear  to  them,  to  defend  her  against  a foreign 
foe  or  maintain  her  standing  before  the  world.  It  has 
been  illustrated  no  less  in  times  of  peace,  when  other 
men,  who  never  doffed  a soldier's  garb  or  wore 
shoulder-straps,  like  Sir  Thomas  Moore,  Milton,  Wil- 
berforce  and  Gladstone  across  the  sea,  and  Adams, 
Sumner,  Giddings  and  Phillips  in  our  own  land,  have 
foregone  a thousand  delights  and  suffered  obloquy, 
detraction,  poverty,  and  sometimes  imprisonment  and 
death,  for  freedom’s  sake  and  the  perpetuity  of  those 
ideas  and  institutions  upon  which  the  well-being  of 
their  county  and  of  its  people  depended. 

But  while  this  love  of  country  is  a native  and  divinely 
appointed  instinct  or  force  of  human  nature  it  is  not 
necessarily  self-regulative  and  praiseworthy  in  its 
diversified  promptings  and  manifestations,  as  already 
intimated.  In  common  with  all  other  human  capabil- 
ities it  needs  guidance,  restraint,  wise  and  righteous 
control.  Like  a mountain  stream,  which  may  be  pure, 
healthful,  invigorating  at  its  source,  it  is  liable  to 
become  so  devitalized,  so  charged  with  deleterious, 
foreign  elements  in  its  onward  flow  as  to  hinder  rather 
than  help  the  truer  life  of  men — as  to  become  a bane 
and  not  a blessing  to  society  and  the  world.  Channing, 
one  of  the  earliest  and  most  clear-sighted  champions  of 
the  cause  of  peace  in  the  United  States,  speaking  of 
Patriotism,  says,  ‘‘It  is  a natural  and  generous  impulse 
of  human  nature  to  love  the  country  that  gave  us 
birth.”  “But  this  sentiment  often  degenerates  into  a 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


253 


narrow,  partial,  exclusive  attachment,  alienating  us 
from  other  branches  of  the  human  family  and  instiga- 
ting to  aggression  on  other  States.  In  ancient  times 
this  principle  developed  with  wonderful  energy  and 
sometimes  absorbed  every  other  sentiment.”  And  he 
might  have  added  that  it  not  infrequently  has  over- 
mastered and  trampled  in  the  dust  every  consideration 
of  justice  and  the  eternal  right,  the  most  imperative 
dictates  of  reason  and  humanity. 

‘‘Patriotism  as  existing  among  certain  of  the  Greeks,” 
says  the  brilliant  essayist  and  statesman,  Macaulay, 
"‘turned  kingdoms  into  gangs  of  robbers,  whom  mutual 
fidelity  rendered  more  dangerous,  gave  a character  of 
peculiar  atrocity  to  war,  and  generated  the  worst  of 
political  evils,  the  tyranny  of  nation  over  nation.”  To 
the  Roman  of  the  time  of  the  Caesars  the  empire  was 
the  most  important,  as  it  was  in  a material  sense  the 
most  powerful  of  dynasties,  and  it  claimed  the  right 
as  it  made  the  attempt  to  subjugate  and  absorb  all  other 
nations,  vanquishing  their  armies  on  the  field  of  battle 
and  bringing  commanders  and  chieftains,  potentates 
and  kings  home  to  the  imperial  city  as  trophies  of  its 
victorious  mi»ht.  These  other  nations  in  his  estimation 
were  of  no  account,  save  as  they  could  be  made  to 
increase  its  wealth,  extend  its  dominion,  add  to  its 
glory.  In  many  of  the  so-called  Commonwealths  of 
antiquity  and  of  the  medieval  ages,  in  which  there  was 
some  professed  regard  for  liberty,  Patriotism,  like 
liberty  itself,  was  often  made  a pretext  for  assaults 
noon  the  inborn  rights  of  mankind,  for  adopting  and 
enforcing  measures  that  stifled  thought  and  free  dis- 
cussion, corrupted  the  administration  of  justice,  sacri- 
ficed the  well-being  of  the  many  to  the  ambition  of  the 


254 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


few,  and  crushed  the  hopes  of  aspiring  multitudes 
under  the  iron  heel  of  arbitrary  power. 

This  same  spirit  is,  alas,  still  abroad  in  the  world, 
carrying  on  its  direful  work  under  the  same  alluring 
disguise.  It  is  to  be  found,  not  among  ignorant,  de- 
graded, so-called  heathen  nations  alone,  but  among 
nations  claiming  to  be  pre-eminently  civilized  and 
Christian.  Ay,  sometimes  in  the  name  of  civilization 
and  Christianity  as  well  as  of  Patriotism  does  that  fell 
spirit  sound  the  tocsin  of  aggressive  war,  summon 
minions  from  the  peaceful  and  beneficent  pursuits  of 
life,  equip  them  and  send  them  forth  by  land  and  sea 
to  engage  in  the  work  of  human  butchery ; showing 
thereby  how  closely  allied  the  foremost  of  nations  in 
our  own  time  may  be  to  those  benighted  peoples  of 
bygone  days  whose  tyrant  chieftains,  impelled  by  the 
greed  of  empire  or  of  gain,  were  every  ready 

“To  wade  through  slaughter  to  a throne 
And  shut  the  gates  of  mercy  on  mankind.” 

This  was  signally  illustrated  in  the  case  of  the  war 
between  this  country  of  ours  and  Mexico  occurring 
within  the  memory  of  some  of  us  here  present,  as 
needless,  as  unjustifiable  and  wicked  a conflict  at  arms 
as  was  ever  waged  since  time  began,  inaugurated,  as 
it  was,  and  carried  through  for  the  indisputable  pur- 
pose of  strengthening  the  slave  power  in  the  national 
councils  and  of  thereby  perpetuating  on  American  soil 
a system  of  oppression  and  outrage,  “one  hour  of 
which,”  Thomas  Jefferson  said,“  was  fraught  with  more 
misery  than  whole  ages  of  that  which  our  fathers  rose 
in  rebellion  to  oppose.”  And  yet  it  was  a war  waged 
ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  the  honor 
and  glory  of  the  country  and  therewith  also  the  welfare 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


255 


and  happiness  of  mankind.  The  Governor  of  my  own 
State,  an  honored  deacon  of  an  evangelical  ( ?)  church, 
issued  a proclamation  calling  upon  the  young  men  of 
the  Commonwealth  to  enlist  as  volunteers  in  the 
country’s  service  and  go  forth  across  the  continent  to 
kill  or  to  be  killed,  in  the  name  of  '‘Patriotism  and 
Humanity” — words  easily  suborned  to  beguile  the 
common  mind  and  to  soften,  if  not  sanctify,  the  enor- 
mities incident  to  the  systematic  slaughter  of  man  by 
the  hands  of  his  fellowman. 

The  devout  Governor,  who  personally  believed  the 
conflict  with  Mexico  to  be  wrong,  was  deluded  and 
thrown  off  his  moral  base,  by  the  often  prevailing 
fallacy  that  when  a country  is  engaged  in  a war  all 
loyal  citizens  are  bound  to  render  it  free  and  hearty 
support,  whatever  may  be  the  merits  or  demerits  of 
the  strife;  and  that  under  such  circumstances  Patriot- 
ism can  be  shown  in  no  other  way.  As  was  said  by  a 
soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  prominent  afterward  in  pub- 
lic affairs:  “It  is  conceit  for  any  man  to  think  he  can 
serve  his  country  in  any  way  but  in  the  ranks.”  In 
other  words,  no  one  can  be  a true  lover  of  his  country 
while  an  armed  conflict  is  going  on,  except  he  approve, 
uphold  and  aid  the  government  under  whose  auspices  it 
is  waged.  And  this  the  real  patriot  will  cheerfully  do, 
irrespective  of  any  scruples  he  may  have  concerning 
the  rightfulness  of  war  in  general  or  the  particular 
war  in  hand.  Under  the  same  prepossession  the  Nezv 
York  Independent,  a religious  journal  of  advanced 
views,  soon  after  the  opening  of  hostilities  with  Spain 
two  years  or  more  ago,  besought  those  of  its  readers 
who  believed  “the  war  wicked  and  unnecessary  to  join 
with  us  in  support  of  the  government  in  fighting  it 
quickly  to  the.end.”  That  is,  fling  your  ideas  of  right 


256 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


and  wrong  to  the  winds,  abandon  your  principles,  tram- 
ple conscience  under  foot,  and  unite  with  others  in 
what  you  believe  to  be  a scheme  of  iniquity,  if  so  be  it 
a foolish  or  sinful  administration  of  public  affairs 
demands  it.  From  all  such  counselors,  religious  or 
otherwise,  we  may  say  in  the  words  of  the  Liturgy, 
“Good  Lord,  deliver  us.”  Such  Patriotism,  I have  no 
hesitation  in  pronouncing  both  false  and  immoral,  and 
such  loyalty  to  country,  treason  to  God,  as  I shall  show 
later  on. 

And  not  only  is  that  Patriotism  false  and  misleading 
which  thus  seeks  to  hide,  palliate  or  justify  the  evils 
of  the  great  war  system,  or  of  some  special  war — a war 
perchance  of  invasion  and  conquest  inaugurated  by 
unscrupulous  leaders  and  urged  on  by  the  baser  ele- 
ments of  the  political  arena  and  by  morally  deceptive 
religious  teachers,  on  the  ground  that  it  is  the  work 
of  the  government  and  that  the  patriot  will  stand  by 
the  government  in  such  a case — but  that  Patriotism 
also  is  false  and  misleading,  yea,  and  dangerous  as  well, 
which  is  blinded  by  the  glamour  of  military  display  and 
achievement  to  various  forms  of  personal  vice  and 
crime  existing  beneath  a soldier’s  uniform  or  within  an 
army  encampment ; or  which  by  some  impious  leger- 
demain converts  a man  of  unclean  and  disorderly  life 
into  a hero  or  a saint  upon  enlisting  as  a soldier  in  his 
country’s  service — his  enlistment  papers  being  counted 
a sufficient  passport  to  the  realms  of  bliss,  and  an 
honorable  discharge  from  military  duty  the  guarantee 
of  an  abundant  entrance  into  the  heavenly  kingdom. 

The  distinguished  orator  at  Harvard  University  a 
few  weeks  ago,  Hon.  William  Everett,  LL.D.,  in  a 
brilliant  and  brave  address  upon  the  subject  I am  now 
discussing,  speaks  of  the  immorality  which  is  often 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


25  7 


lost  to  sight  or  duly  atoned  for  by  assuming  a military 
costume,  in  terms  worthy  of  remembrance.  “If  a 
monarch,”  he  says,  “a  statesman,  a soldier,  stands  forth 
pre-eminent  in  exalting  the  name  or  extending  the 
boundaries  of  his  country,  he  is  a patriot,  and  that  is 
enough.  Such  a leader  may  be  as  perjured  and  blas- 
phemous as  Frederic  or  as  brutal  and  stupid  as  his 
father ; he  may  be  as  faithless  and  mean  as  Marlbor- 
ough or  as  dissolute  and  bloody  as  Julius  Caesar;  he 
may  trample  on  every  right  of  independent  nations  and 
drive  his  countrymen  to  the  shambles  like  Napoleon ; 
he  may  be  as  corrupt  as  Walpole  or  as  wayward  as 
Chatham ; he  may  be  destitute  of  every  spark  of  cul- 
ture, or  prostitute  the  gifts  of  the  Muses  to  the  basest 
ends ; he  may  have,  in  short,  all  manner  of  vices  and 
defects,  but  if  he  is  true  to  his  country,  if  he  is  her 
faithful  standard-bearer,  if  he  strives  to  set  her  and 
keep  her  high  above  her  rivals,  he  is  right,  a worthy 
patriot.  And  if  he  seem  lukewarm  in  her  cause,  if, 
however  wise  and  good  he  may  be  in  all  other  relations, 
he  fails  to  work  with  all  his  heart  and  soul  to  maintain 
her  position  among  the  nations,  he  must  be  stamped 
with  failure  if  not  with  a curse.” 

Such  conceptions  of  Patriotsim  and  all  of  kindred 
nature  are  gross  perversions  of  the  true  meaning  of 
the  word — a prostitution  of  it  to  base  and  unhallowed 
uses.  Readiness  to  enlist  in  the  army  of  a country 
and  to  go  forth  and  help  fight  her  battles  is  no  proof 
or  token  of  patriotism.  Thousands  of  men  are  thus 
ready  and  eager  to  enlist  and  to  fight,  whose  hearts 
never  felt  one  honest  throb  of  real  love  for  their 
country,  whose  minds  never  cherished  one  earnest 
purpose  to  further  their  country's  well-being,  who 
never  spent  one  solitary  moment  in  striving  to  know 


258 


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in  what  their  country's  real  honor  (Consisted  or  how 
they  could  most  effectively  promote  it.  And  thousands 
there  are  in  every  army  corps  of  such  ignoble,  degraded, 
shameless  lives,  that  it  might  be  truly  said  that  the 
best  service  they  could  personally  render  their  country 
would  be  to  go  out  of  it  on  some  hazardous  venture 
in  far-away  lands,  where  they  could  work  the  least 
possible  harm  to  the  common  weal.  Patriotism  in  any 
proper  sense  can  not  be  made  a shield  for  criminality 
and  guilt  or  an  expiation  for  offenses  of  any  sort 
against  the  moral  law.  Nor  is  it  to  be  identified  with 
bellicosity  or  the  fighting  spirit,  whatever  form  it  may 
assume.  “Patriotism,”  said  Starr  King,  “is  not  that 
pugilistic  passion  which  estimates  glory  by  battlefields, 
weighs  national  worth  by  vigor  of  muscle,  and  culls 
the  anthology  of  its  bloody  traditions  into  a sort  of 
pirate’s  own  book,  by  which  its  brutal  appetite  is  nour- 
ished.” Yet  it  is  by  multitudes  of  people  so  regarded. 
“The  fighting  man,”  it  has  been  truly  remarked,  “the 
man  of  desperate  deeds,  the  captain  of  the  bloody 
deck  and  riddled  rigging,  is  the  patriot  of  popular 
song,”  as  it  is  of  many  a favorite  story.  From  the 
martial  standpoint— the  standpoint  of  war — Patriotism 
that  is  of  any  account  must  drip  with  human  blood. 

“But  it  is  sometimes  said,”  observes  the  before 
quoted  Charming,  “that  war  kindles  patriotism” ; that 
“by  fighting  for  his  country  one  learns  to  love  it.”  But 
he  adds,  “the  patriotism  which  is  cherished  by  war  is 
ordinarily  false  and  spurious,  a vice  and  not  a virtue, 
a scourge  to  the  world,  a narrow,  unjust  passion,  which 
aims  to  exalt  a particular  State  on  the  humiliation  or 
destruction  of  other  States.”  And  if  we  may  judge  by 
the  history  of  the  war  system,  as  it  has  existed  from 
time  immemorial,  and  by  the  influence  of  the  military 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


259 


spirit  wherever  it  has  prevailed  to  any  extent,  the 
patriotism  engendered  and  nurtured  amid  scenes  of 
violence  and  carnage  has  wrought  more  harm  than  good 
to  national  welfare,  and  been,  as  a rule,  a menace 
rather  than  a protection  to  the  higher  interests  of  the 
people. 

And  while  Patriotism  in  its  better  aspects  derives  no 
significance  nor  force  from  the  spirit  of  belligerence 
with  which  it  is  so  often  associated  and  is  never  to  be 
confounded  with  mere  militarism  in  any  of  its  mani- 
festations, it  is  not,  on  the  other  hand,  what  is  repre- 
sented by  the  flamboyant  rhetoric  and  spread-eagle 
oratory  frequently  displayed  on  the  Fourth  of  July 
and  like  occasions,  nominally  observed  for  a patriotic 
purpose.  It  is  more  than  this — more  than  a glorifica- 
tion of  the  fathers,  more  than  a rehearsal  of  heroic 
deeds,  more  than  fulsome  praise  of  national  resources, 
wealth,  power,  achievement,  or  possibility.  It  is  more 
than  pronouncing  the  Shibboleth  of  some  political 
party,  manipulating  conventions,  ratifying  nominations, 
or  celebrating  any  victories  of  election  day.  Let  us 
take  heed  lest  we  be  led  astray  by  the  clangor  of  mere 
words  or  by  the  false  meaning  that  popular  opinion  or 
the  excitement  of  an  hour  or  a day  or  any  form  of 
sophistry  may  put  into  words ; lest  “we  crown  that 
which  is  only  a blind  passion  as  a lofty  emotion  and 
clothe  with  the  robes  of  duty  what  is  little  more  than 
a superstition.” 

True  Patriotism,  as  distinguished  from  that  which  is 
false  and  deceitful,  is  love  of  country  for  what  it  really 
stands  for,  in  its  own  distinctive  character  and  in  the 
life  of  the  world.  As  an  enlightened,  refined  senti- 
ment, flavored,  so  to  say,  with  morality  and  religion,  it 
is  love  of  country  for  that  in  it  which  is  worthy  of 


260 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


regard  and  commendation ; for  that  which  makes  it  a 
living  factor  in  the  development,  elevation,  and  perfect- 
ing of  humanity.  In  this  land  of  ours,  true  Patriotism, 
while  recognizing  and  appreciating  its  material  re- 
sources, advantages,  blessings  of  whatever  sort,  will 
prize  it,  rejoice  in  it,  and  honor  it  chiefly  for  its  intel- 
lectual, moral,  social,  civil,  and  religious  characteristics : 
for  the  tokens  of  Providential  favor  that  illumine  so 
many  pages  of  its  history,  for  the  lofty  character  of  the 
brave  adventurers,  who,  as  the  representatives  of  an 
advancing  civilization,  first  peopled  its  shores  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  its  various  and  manifold  institutions, 
for  the  great  ideas  of  justice,  equity,  and  freedom 
promulgated  to  the  world  from  its  high  places,  for 
what  has  been  accomplished  within  its  borders  in  the 
way  of  realizing  a better  domestic,  social,  and  civil 
order  for  all  classes  and  conditions  of  people,  for  what 
has  here  been  done  through  the  agency  of  its  more 
Christlike  men  and  women  and  in  other  ways  to  build 
up  the  kingdom  of  heaven  on  the  earth. 

And  such  a Patriotism  will  manifest  itself,  not  so 
much  in  the  politician's  arts,  in  the  resolutions  of  cau- 
cuses and  conventions,  in  glowing  sentences,  or  idle 
boasting  or  impassioned  appeals,  or  noisy  demonstra- 
tions of  any  sort,  as  in  personal  integrity,  in  fidelity  to 
the  great  trusts  of  life,  in  a noble  type  of  manhood  and 
womanhood,  in  loyalty  to  that  law  of  eternal  rectitude 
which  alone  can  honor,  adorn,  and  save  a State  as  it 
can  an  individual  soul.  It  will  display  itself  in  purified 
homes  and  the  right  ordering  of  domestic  life,  in  a 
cherished  spirit  of  conciliation  and  brotherhood,  in  the 
maintenance  of  kindly  and  helpful  relations  with  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  people,  in  practical  endeavors  to 
uplift,  benefit  and  redeem  the  more  dependent,  unfor- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


261 


tunate  and  needy  classes  of  society — to  remedy  the 
abuses,  harmonize  the  differences,  lessen  the  inequali- 
ties, and  overcome  the  evils  of  the  existing  social  order, 
in  striving  to  exemplify  in  all  the  affairs  and  relations  of 
life  the  principles,  precepts,  and  spirit  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  It  will  show  itself  in  independence  of  thought 
and  action  upon  all  important  concerns,  in  refusing  to 
be  the  tool  or  the  victim  of  tricksters  and  demagogues, 
in  exposing  the  chicaneries  and  iniquities  of  unscrupu- 
lous aspirants  for  office,  in  protesting  against  the 
wrongs  of  public  as  well  as  private  life,  in  resisting  all 
solicitations  to  go  with  the  multitude  to  do  evil,  in  dis- 
obeying unrighteous  requirements  even  though  made  by 
the  government  itself,  and  in  maintaining  the  suprem- 
acy of  the  right,  good  and  true  over  all  legislative 
enactments,  State  policies,  and  national  decretals  what- 
soever. 

But  passing  from  these  generalizations,  I am  moved 
to  make  certain  affirmations  based  upon  the  divine 
order  of  the  world  which  a true  and  enlightened  Pa- 
triotism will  recognize  and  be  governed  by  as  essential 
to  a proper  and  rightful  development  or  expression  of 
national  life. 

1.  The  first  is  that  the  well-being,  prosperity  and 
happiness  of  a nation  is  indissolubly  associated  with 
the  well-being,  prosperity  and  happiness  of  all  classes 
of  its  population  and  their  corresponding  unity,  har- 
mony and  kindly  co-operation.  There  can  be  no  well- 
assured  national  good,  no  ideal  national  life,  no  un- 
sullied national  honor,  where  any  considerable  number 
of  people  are  subject  to  the  evils  of  ignorance,  poverty, 
vice  and  crime,  or  are  enslaved  by  bad  habits  and  be- 
sotted by  debauchery  and  excess.  And  no  nation  is 
really  worthy  of  admiration  in  which  gross  and  start- 


262 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


ling  inequalities  of  circumstance,  condition  and  oppor- 
tunity exist;  as  between  the  rich  and  poor,  the  educated 
and  uneducated,  the  refined  and  the  vulgar,  the  so-called 
higher  and  lower  elements  of  society.  Nor  can  a nation 
he  ideally  prosperous  and  happy,  or  free  from  threat- 
ening ills,  in  which  class  distinctions  assume  a hostile 
and  virulent  form,  or  where  envy,  jealousy,  ill-will  or 
other  spirit  of  alienation  and  distrust  disturbs  otherwise 
harmonious  relations  and  engenders  bitterness  and 
wrath  between  man  and  man  or  between  party  and 
party ; in  social  circles,  in  industry,  business,  politics 
or  religion.  Differences  of  opinion  and  of  action  there 
may  be,  there  must  be,  except  the  individuality  of  men 
be  destroyed,  which  would  be  a dire  calamity — but  all 
differences  must  be  shared  and  exercised  in  the  spirit 
of  true  liberty,  without  intolerance  and  persecution, 
each  granting  to  others  the  rights  claimed  for  himself, 
and  all  striving  together  for  the  common  good  of  all. 
Fraternity,  co-operation,  harmony,  are  the  watchwords 
of  an  orderly,  happy  community,  tewn,  State,  nation, 
world. 

2.  A second  important  consideration  regulating  the 
expression  or  overt  action  of  true  Patriotism  is  that 
o:  e’s  country  is  but  a single  member  of  an  extended 
brotherhood  of  countries,  each  and  all  having  a place  in 
the  Providential  plan  of  the  world  and  a part  to  play  in 
the  great  drama  of  human  life  on  the  earth.  As  a legit- 
imate deduction  from  this  proposition,  it  follows  that 
the  several  countries  constituting  this  brotherhood,  like 
the  different  classes  or  circles  in  any  one  of  them,  have 
certain  common  interests  and  rights  entitled  to  mutual 
respect,  and  certain  common  obligations  to  be  sacredly 
regarded  and  faithfully  met ; and  that  between  those 
countries  there  should  be  nurtured  the  feeling  of  fra- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


263 


ternal  sympathy,  helpfulness  and  goodwill.  This  makes 
all  international  jealousy,  enmity,  wrath  and  war  not 
only  derogatory  to  the  character  of  the  particular 
nations  concerned,  but  perilous  to  the  highest  good  of 
the  entire  fraternity  of  nations.  The  scorr,  contempt, 
hostility,  sometimes  shown  by  citizens  of  c ne  country 
towards  those  of  another  is  no  proof  of  pure  Patriotism 
but  of  the  lack  of  it ; as  a man  who  hates  his  neighbor’s 
children  can  have  no  pure  love  for  his  own.  Such 
scorn,  contempt,  hostility,  is  but  the  outcome  of  national 
conceit,  egotism,  bigotry,  as  offensive  to  a profound 
sense  of  justice  and  honor  in  a Commonwealth  or  em- 
pire as  in  an  individual,  and  as  full  of  mischief  and 
peril.  National  selfishness,  like  personal  selfishness,  is 
the  grave  of  all  true  nobleness  and  renown ; it  festers 
with  the  germs  of  decay  and  death. 

And  the  practical  recognition  of  this  fact  of  the 
brotherhood  of  nations  opens  out  naturally  into  the 
larger  fact  of  the  brotherhood  of  the  human  race ; 
the  special  love  of  one’s  country  under  divine  tuition 
growing  into  that  love  for  all  men,  without  which  we 
are  told  upon  good  authority  there  can  be  no  real  love 
of  God.  So  that  without  depreciating  or  limiting  one’s 
affection  for  the  land  in  which  he  lives  or  his  desire  or 
ability  to  serve  its  highest  good,  he  may  say  in  all 
honesty,  as  did  one  of  America’s  noblest  philanthro- 
pists, “My  country  is  the  world  and  my  countrymen 
are  all  mankind.”  In  the  spirit  of  this  broader,  more 
inclusive  interpretation  of  the  word  Patriotism  may 
men  and  nations  dwell  together  in  unity,  in  friendli- 
ness and  in  peace,  mutual  helpers  of  each  other  in  all 
things  pertaining  to  their  enduring  progress  and  glory, 
each  striving  with  all  and  all  with  each  for  the  uni- 
versal good,  the  ultimate  “federation  of  the  world.” 


264 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


3.  And  once  more  I observe  that  Patriotism  of  the 
higher  order  recognizes  and  regards  the  great  funda- 
mental fact  of  the  universe  that  there  is  a law  superior 
to  all  human  enactments  or  decrees — a moral  govern- 
ment of  the  world,  supreme  over  all  human  interests 
and  concerns,  to  which  not  alone  the  common  personal 
affairs  of  men  must  he  made  subject,  hut  all  social, 
civil,  national  and  international  affairs  as  well;  the 
greatest  no  less  than  the  least  of  them.  A nation  with- 
out the  consciousness  of  such  a law,  “whose  seat  is 
the  bosom  of  God  and  whose  voice  is  the  harmony  of 
the  world,”  without  a living  sense  of  loyalty  to  such  a 
government,  on  the  part  of  its  rulers  and  the  great 
mass  of  its  people,  is  a nation  doomed,  a nation  rushing 
upon  the  thick  bosses  of  the  buckler  of  the  Almighty. 
It  is  a dictum  not  from  the  Scripture  records  alone,  hut 
from  the  council  chamber  of  the  eternities,  that  comes 
ringing  through  all  the  corridors  of  time,  saying, 
“Righteousness  exalteth  a nation,  but  sin  is  a reproach 
to  any  people.”  How  slow  are  men  to  learn  the  sacred 
lesson  that  “whatsoever  a man  (or  a nation)  soweth 
that  shall  he  (or  it)  also  reap;”  that  no  one  individual, 
though  he  be  King  or  President,  and  no  body  of  men, 
though  it  be  a Legislature  or  Parliament,  can  annul 
the  statutes  of  the  great  Framer  of  all  worlds,  make  a 
wrong  thing  right,  or  stay  the  operations  of  that  retri- 
butive Justice  which  holds  all  rational,  responsible 
beings  in  all  possible  conditions  under  all  possible  rela- 
tions amenable  to  its  own  solemn,  unescapable  opera- 
tions and  behests. 

These  things  being  so,  the  intelligent  patriot  shapes 
his  thought  and  conduct  accordingly.  True  to  its  per- 
manent interests  he  refuses  to  be  a party  or  lend  sup- 
port to  whatever  he  sees  or  believes  to  be  wrong  in 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


265 


his  country's  counsels,  in  its  governmental  policy,  or 
in  any  department  of  the  public  service.  The  younger 
Pitt,  whom  Macaulay  termed  “the  greatest  master  of 
parliamentary  government  the  world  has  ever  seen,  ’ 
resigned  his  place  as  Prime  Minister  of  England,  rather 
than  violate  his  conscience  in  breaking  faith  with  the 
Catholics  of  Ireland.  Granville  Sharpe,  the  patriarch 
of  -British  Abolitionists,  gave  up  his  position  in  the 
government  of  the  kingdom  rather  than  lend  support 
in  any  way  to  the  war  against  the  American  colonies  in 
1776,  deeming  it  unjust  and  therefore  detrimental  to 
the  public  welfare.  It  was  no  lack  of  Patriotism  that 
prompted  the  action  of  these  men,  but  the  impulse  of 
the  highest  type  of  Patriotism.  They  were  better 
patriots  by  far  than  the  monarch  and  members  of 
Parliament  whose  policy  they  opposed.  Who  were 
the  more  worthy  to  be  called  patriots  in  this  country 
before  the  Civil  War,  the  Abolitionists,  who,  seeing 
the  giant  iniquity  that  was  destroying  the  liberties  of 
the  people  and  threatening  the  life  of  the  nation,  sought 
to  have  it  put  away  by  legitimate  means  and  without 
violence  and  the  effusion  of  blood,  or  their  proslavery 
detractors,  in  and  out  of  office,  who,  by  a blind  and 
wicked  policy,  brought  on  the  strife  at  arms,  causing 
the  Republic  to  totter  in  her  accustomed  seat  and  the 
Southland  to  be  strewn  with  the  dead  bodies  of  more 
than  half  a million  of  her  sons? 

No  true  patriot  shuts  his  eyes  to  his  country’s  follies, 
crimes,  abominations,  or  withholds  his  testimony 
against  them,  whatever  be  the  sacrifice  or  risk.  Much 
less  does  he  palliate  them,  apologize  for  them,  or  setk 
to  shield  them  from  the  rebuke  and  condemnation 
which  are  their  righteous  due.  Nor  does  he  adopt  or 
give  currency,  repute  and  weight  to  such  maxims  as 


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“My  country,  however  bounded,”  “My  country,  right 
or  wrong,”  “My  country,  my  whole  country,  and  noth- 
ing but  my  country,”  maxims  born  of  the  war  spirit, 
and  employed  chiefly  in  war  time  to  pervert  the  judg- 
ment of  men  and  help  on  war’s  bloody  work.  No 
thoughtful,  high-minded  patriot  is  deceived  and  led 
astray  by  them.  They  are  morally  indefensible,  wicked, 
atheistic.  They  dethrone  God;  they  ignore,  set  at 
naught,  bring  into  contempt,  the  everlasting  law ; they 
deserve  only  censure  and  unqualified  reprobation  at 
the  hands  of  all  who  reverence  truth,  justice  and  the 
eternal  right. 

And  now  let  us  consider  what  relation  true  Patriot- 
ism sustains  to  the  great  cause  of  Peace,  whose  inter- 
ests this  gathering  represents,  and  whose  triumph 
it  is  designed  to  advance.  That  it  is  exceedingly  cordial 
and  intimate  has  been  already  indicated.  Every  con- 
sideration offered  in  exposition  of  such  Patriotism,  of 
its  essential  nature  and  character,  of  its  workings  in 
human  history,  of  what  it  suggests,  inspires  and  seeks 
to  accomplish,  is  in  singular  and  happy  accord  with 
the  principles,  purposes,  methods  and  hopes  of  the 
friends  of  Peace,  appeals  directly  to  their  sympathy 
and  judgment,  and  commends  itself  to  their  approval, 
confidence  and  regard.  The  cause  of  Peace  is  emphat- 
ically the  cause  of  the  Republic ; and  the  welfare  of  the 
Republic  is  largely  dependent  upon  the  development 
and  ascendency  among  its  citizens  of  that  type  of 
personal  character  and  the  prevalence  of  that  spirit  of 
friendliness,  co-operation  and  harmony  which  it  is  the 
special  purpose  of  the  Peace  movement  to  engender 
and  make  dominant  in  public  as  well  as  in  private  life. 

As  a matter  of  fact,  true  Patriotism  and  the  Peace 
cause  operate  along  similar  lines  to  one  and  the  same 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


267 


transcendent  end;  along  lines  of  justice,  mercy,  love, 
towards  mutual  good  will,  unity,  solidarity  in  the  state 
and  nation,  and  towards  the  final  enfranchisement  and 
pacification  of  the  world.  There  is  ample  room  for 
illustrating  in  detail  this  likeness  of  the  two  to  each 
other — of  showing  their  many  points  of  correspond- 
ence, if  not  their  absolute  identity ; and  even  that  in 
many  particulars.  Certainly  the  Peace  cause  recognizes 
and  emphasizes  the  three  fundamental  truths  or  prin- 
ciples of  civic  order  just  now  stated,  the  acknowledged 
supremacy  of  which  has  been  declared  to  be  essential 
to  true  and  enlightened  Patriotism — truths  or  princi- 
ples that  need  no  further  elaboration  or  enforcement. 

True  Patriotism  and  the  cause  of  Peace  correspond 
in  desiring  and  seeking  to  enhance  the  enduring  great- 
ness of  a country  and  in  the  conception  of  what  that 
greatness  is — of  its  real  nature  and  character.  And 
this  has  never  been  set  forth  in  more  eloquent  and 
impressive  language  than  by  the  distinguished  philan- 
thropist and  statesman,  Charles  Sumner,  in  his  splen- 
did oration  upon  “The  True  Grandeur  of  Nations.” 
“War,”  he  says,  “is  utterly  and  irreconcilably  incon- 
sistent with  true  greatness.”  “That  consists  in  imi- 
tating as  near  as  possible  for  finite  man  the  perfection 
of  an  infinite  Creator;  above  all,  in  cultivating  those 
highest  perfections,  Justice  and  Love.”  “The  true 
greatness  of  nations  is  in  those  qualities  which  consti- 
tute the  greatness  of  the  individual.  It  is  not  to  be 
found  in  extent  of  territory,  nor  in  vastness  of  popula- 
tion, nor  in  wealth ; not  in  fortifications,  nor  armies, 
nor  navies;  not  in  the  phosphorescent  glare  of  fields  of 
battle,  nor  in  Golgothas,  though  covered  with  monu- 
ments that  kiss  the  clouds.  For  all  these  are  creatures 


268 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


and  representatives  of  qualities  in  our  nature  unlike 
anything  in  God.” 

“Nor  is  the  greatness  of  nations  to  be  found  in  the 
triumphs  of  the  intellect  alone — in  literature,  learning, 
science  or  art.  These  may  widen  the  sphere  of  its 
influence ; they  may  adorn  it,  but  they  are  only  its 
accessories.  The  polished  Greeks — the  world’s  masters 
in  language  and  thought,  and  the  commanding  Romans, 
overawing  the  earth  with  their  power,  were  little  more 
than  splendid  savages;  and  the  age  of  Louis  XIV., 
spanning  a long  period  of  worldly  magnificence,  was 
degraded  by  immoralities  that  can  not  be  mentioned 
without  a blush,  and  by  deeds  of  injustice  not  to  be 
washed  out  by  the  tears  of  all  the  recording  angels  of 
heaven.  The  true  grandeur  of  humanity  is  in  moral 
elevation,  sustained,  enlightened  and  decorated  by  the 
intellect  of  man.  And  the  truest  tokens  of  this 
grandeur  are  the  diffusion  of  the  greatest  happiness 
to  the  greatest  number,  and  that  Godlike  justice  which 
controls  the  relations  of  the  State  to  other  States  and 
to  all  the  people  under  its  care.”  It  is  national  greatness 
thus  delineated  that  the  true  patriot  and  the  friend  of 
Peace  conjointly  seek  to  honor  and  enhance. 

Such  greatness  will  command  the  approval  and  admi- 
ration of  all  noble  souls,  not  alone  by  the  sublime 
qualities  that  characterize  it,  but  by  the  extent  and 
splendor  of  its  achievements.  It  will  be  not  simply 
a latent  and  inappreciable  force  in  the  world — an 
abstract  idea  for  the  student  of  political  economics — 
but  an  active  energy  in  human  life  and  history,  making 
the  nation,  illustrating  it  a mighty  factor  in  the  problem 
of  human  uplifting  and  redemption.  We  are  hearing 
just  now  a great  deal  about  the  part  which  the  United 
States  is  coming  to  play  in  the  great  drama  of  human 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESTSTANCE 


269 


affairs  by  reason  of  her  recent  military  and  naval 
exploits.  “The  war  with  Spain,”  says  Governor 
Adams,  of  Colorado,  “makes  our  country  a world 
power.”  Other  purblind  politicians  and  half-fledged 
patriots  are  saying  the  same  thing,  and  the  responding 
populace  rend  the  air  with  shouts  of  applause  thereat. 
To  such  persons,  ignorant  of  the  philosophy  of  history 
as  they  are  of  ethical  principles  and  agencies,  this  great 
American  nation  was  of  little  account  in  the  world  until 
within  two  or  three  years.  But  now,  since  San  Juan 
and  Manila,  we,  her  people,  are  somebody ; we  can 
take  our  place  among  other  nations  and  defy  them  all ; 
we  can  whip  all  creation ; no  foreign,  old-time  dynasty 
will  henceforth  dare  to  tread  on  the  toes  of  our  vener- 
able Uncle  Sam  or  insult  the  dignity  of  his  imperial 
majesty.  The  watchwords  henceforth  are  to  be, 
“Hands  off”  and  “Beware.” 

So  some  people  talk.  But  such  talk  is  cheap — too 
cheap  for  serious  consideration,  and  as  vicious  as  it  is 
cheap.  It  is  the  glorification  of  brute  force  and 
national  pugilism.  It  is  the  exaltation  of  might  over 
right,  of  military  prowess  over  justice  and  humanity. 
It  is  the  boast  of  the  braggart,  the  swaggerer,  the  prize- 
fighter; not  an  expression  of  true  valor,  of  lofty  states- 
manship, of  clear-seeing  philosophy.  It  makes  the 
United  States  the  chief  bully  among  the  nations — a 
distinction  not  to  be  proud  of  and  not  to  be  coveted. 
This  vain  and  shameful  braggardism  was  so  well  stated 
and  elucidated  a year  or  more  ago  by  Rev.  Dr.  Jeffer- 
son, of  Broadway  Tabernacle,  New  York  City,  in  a 
sermon  from  the  text  “And  the  devil  taketh  him  up 
into  an  exceedingly  high  mountain,”  etc.,  that  I venture 
to  quote  a brief  passage : 

"Men  are  everywhere  exulting  in  the  notion  that  we, 


270' 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


as  a nation,  have  become  a great  world-power.  We 
amounted  to  nothing  before  the  victory  at  Manila. 
He  is  a Rip  Van  Winkle  of  an  American  who  had  to 
be  aroused  from  sleep  by  a cannon  shot  to  learn  that 
the  United  States  has  been  a world-power  for  years. 
How  did  she  become  such?  By  her  army?  No.  By 
her  navy?  No.  By  dabbling  in  diplomacy?  No.  By 
colonies  and  dependencies?  No.  But  by  tbe  culture 
of  the  arts  of  peace,  by  building  schools,  colleges,, 
churches;  by  developing  free  institutions. 

We  have  not  fooled  away  our  time  in  drilling  men  to 
kill  each  other.  We  have  not  squandered  our  money 
on  armies  and  navies.”  “America  is  not  isolated.  Her 
spirit  for  years  has  walked  up  and  down  the  earth. 
Where  is  there  a land  her  influence  has  not  reached? 

Her  ideas  have  touched  the  hearts  of  men 
under  every  sun.  . . . She  is  a power  already 
in  the  evolution  of  the  race.  And  yet  some  men  never 
knew  it  till  a gun  was  fired  at  Manila.  ...  A 
great  naval  power — a great  military  power ! In  many 
a circle  these  are  phases  to  conjure  with.  A great 
Christian  power  to  my  ears  sounds  much  better !”  As 
it  does,  I apprehend  to  the  ears  of  both  peace  men  and 
true  patriots — to  the  ear  of  God  and  his  holy  angels. 
A great  power  for  justice,  righteousness,  brotherhood, 
peace,  throughout  the  earth.  So  may  she  be. 

So  indeed  let  us  hope  and  pray  that  she  may  be.  For 
it  is  in  the  way  suggested  that  our  beloved  country  is 
to  act  a noble  part  on  the  stage  of  history  and  serve 
humanity’s  highest  good  in  the  years  to  come.  Not  like 
Rome  of  old  by  making  other  nations  tremble  at  the 
mention  of  her  name,  not  by  conquests  at  arms  on 
distant  battle-fields,  not  by  subjugating  weaker  prov- 
inces and  compelling  them  to  bow  to  her  imperial  sway. 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


271 


Not  by  elevating  her  standards  on  foreign  soil  and 
refusing  to  take  them  down  again,  however  unright- 
eously they  may  have  been  set  up ; but  by  her  procla- 
mation of  the  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty, 
by  her  championship  of  the  inborn  rights  of  mankind, 
by  her  ideals  of  freedom  made  real  within  her  own 
borders,  by  the  light  of  her  example  of  righteous  self- 
government  shining  forth  to  illume  the  benighted  por- 
tions of  the  globe,  by  the  contagion  of  an  honorable, 
just,  humane  national  life,  by  the  prosperity,  virtue  and 
happiness  of  all  classes  of  her  population,  by  her  insti- 
tutions of  learning,  charity  and  religion,  by  her  sympa- 
thy for  and  hospitality  to  down-trodden  and  oppressed 
peoples  struggling  after  liberty  and  a better  life,  by 
her  missionaries  and  heralds  of  Christian  faith  going 
forth  in  the  spirit  of  the  Master  into  all  the  world  to 
preach  the  Gospel  of  love  to  God  and  man  and  to  wage 
holy  warfare  against  human  folly,  ignorance,  sin  and 
shame,  not  with  carnal  weapons  but  with  spiritual, 
which  are  mighty  through  God  to  the  pulling  down  of 
the  strongholds  of  the  adversary  and  to  the  achieve- 
ment of  a final  victory  for  the  true,  the  beautiful  and 
the  good  throughout  the  earth. 

True  Patriotism  in  this  land  of  ours  supplements  and 
reinforces  the  cause  of  Peace  in  vigorously  resisting 
the  growing  militarism  which  is  dominating  to  a large 
extent  the  policy  of  the  national  government,  corrupt- 
ing the  high  standards  of  public  life  and  exalting  brute 
force  to  the  place  in  common  esteem  which  properly 
belongs  to  reason,  the  judicial  sense,  and  the  spirit  of 
brotherhood.  Two  and  a half  years  ago,  under  the 
pretext  of  delivering -the  inhabitants  of  the  island  of 
Cuba  from  the  cruel  tyranny  of  Spain,  the  baser  ele- 
ments of  the  political  arena  and  the  jingoists  of  the 


272 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


press  throughout  the  country  roused  the  latent  war- 
spirit  of  the  people  at  large  from  th*e  repose  of  a 
generation  to  an  intensity  that  overruled  their  calmer 
judgment  and  more  humane  feeling  and  that  inaugu- 
rated a new  regime  in  the  administration  of  national 
affairs  full  of  mischiefs  and  portents  of  coming  ill. 
As  a result  the  army  of  the  United  States  has  been 
multiplied  fourfold,  with  a fair  prospect  of  indefinite 
increase  under  the  infatuation  created  by  the  widely 
prevailing  greed  of  gain  and  of  empire  in  our  borders. 
An  army  is  in  its  very  nature  a despotism,  and,  ex- 
tended beyond  the  limits  of  a national  police  force,  a 
menace  to  the  Republic  and  to  that  freedom  and  inde- 
pendence for  which  the  Republic,  true  to  its  ideals  and 
the  principles  of  its  founders,  stands ; a menace  to  all 
forms  of  popular  government.  This  is  shown  in  the 
history  of  the  ancient  and  mediaeval  Commonwealths,, 
as  it  is  in  the  experience  of  the  French  nation  since 
it  last  assumed  the  name  and  form  of  Democracy. 
Again  and  again  has*  the  government  established  by 
Thiers,  Hugo,  Favre,  and.  other  actors  in  the  revolu- 
tion of  1870  come  near  to  shipwreck  by  reason  of  the 
arbitrary  spirit,  and  the  imperialistic  tendencies,  the 
malign  influence  of  the  army.  Washington  clearly 
apprehended  danger  from  this  source  to  the  political 
edifice  he  helped  to  raise,  and  in  his  Farewell  Address 
warned  his  fellow-countrymen  against  “overgrown 
inilitary  establishments,  which,”  he  said,  “under  any 
form  of  government  are  inauspicious  to  liberty,  and 
which  are  to  be  regarded  as  particularly  hostile  to 
Republican  liberty.”  True  Patriotism  to-day,  among 
wise,  prophetic  men,  as  in  the  person  of  the  “Father 
of  his  country,”  views  the  rapid  increase  of  these 
liberty-imperilling  establishments  with  deep  solicitude 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


273 


and  even  alarm,  and  protests  against  them  accordingly. 
Moreover,  such  establishments  and  their  accessories 
are  highly  prejudicial  to  the  well-being  of  the  great 
mass  of  the  people  of  a country,  especially  of  the 
industrial  classes — the  honest  yeomanry.  We  have  but 
to  look  at  continental  Europe  for  indisputable  proof  of 
this.  The  army  equipments  there,  which  have  doubled 
within  thirty  years,  are  maintained  at  immense  cost, 
necessitating  a system  of  taxation  which  reduces  the 
populace  to  a condition  of  extreme  poverty  and  degra- 
dation, a condition  provocative  of  unrest  and  disorder, 
and  well  calculated  to  generate  Nihilism,  Anarchism, 
and  all  forms  of  violent  upheaval  and  bloody  outbreak. 
If  our  land  is  to  avoid  social  and  civil  tumult  and  con- 
vulsions in  days  to  come,  she  must  guard  assiduously 
against  the  causes  that  produce  them,  chiefest  of 
which  is  an  oppressive  militarism,  as  experience  in  the 
countries  alluded  to  demonstrates.  Clear-seeing,  high- 
minded  patriots  among  us  see  the  impending  peril,  and 
join  must  heartily  with  the  friends  of  Peace,  in  de- 
manding a halt  in  the  military  activities  of  the  time, 
a suppression  of  the  prevailing  war  spirit  for  the  sake 
of  the  Republic,  of  the  people  generally,  and  of  the 
cause  of  freedom  in  the  world  at  large. 

In  conclusion,  I am  moved  to  affirm  that  true  Patriot- 
ism and  the  Peace  Cause  are  singularly  coincident  in 
deprecating  and  condemning  unqualifiedly  the  war  now 
(1900)  being  carried  on  by  the  United  States  govern- 
ment against  the  people  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  and 
the  policy  of  the  national  administration  in  respect  to 
the  same.  The  latter  bases  its  verdict  upon  those  fun- 
damental principles  of  morality,  justice,  brotherhood, 
love,  of  which  it  is  the  practical  expression ; the  former 
upon  those  fundamental  principles  of  civil  and  religious 


274 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


liberty  on  which  the  American  Republic  was  founded 
and  for  which  it  has  ever  stood  before  the  nations. 
Those  principles  are  distinctly  set  forth  in  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence,  the  Magna  Charta  of  that  type 
of  national  life  which  this  country  represents.  The 
issuance  of  that  instrument  marked  an  epoch  in  the 
social  and  civil  evolution  of  the  race;  it  was  a new 
departure  in  the  march  of  humanity  to  its  final  earthly 
destiny.  On  that  instrument  and  on  the  great  truths 
it  enunciated  the  national  edifice  has  been  built;  by  it 
has  the  national  character  been  shaped,  and  under  its 
inspiration  and  guidance  whatever  is  most  signal  and 
praiseworthy  in  the  national  career  has  been  achieved. 

But  the  governmental  policy  in  regard  to  the  Philip- 
pine war  is  in  open  contravention  of  the  spirit  and 
affirmations  of  the  Declaration ; a denial  of  its  claims, 
an  abandonment  of  what  has  been  most  distinctive  in 
the  national  life.  It  is  a virtual  repudiation  of  the 
work  of  the  nation’s  founders ; a return  to  old  world 
ideals,  doctrines,  practices,  methods  of  administration. 
It  is  a surrender  of  America  and  the  West  to  Europe 
and  the  East.  It  is  a re-adoption  of  the  statecraft 
wl  ich  the  pilgrim  and  the  Puritan  dared  the  perils  of 
the  sea  and  the  greater  perils  of  the  wilderness  to 
escape.  It  is  playing  the  part  of  George  III.  and  Lord 
North  over  again  in  their  dealings  with  the  American 
colonies  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  ago ; 
attempting  to  subjugate  and  render  submissive  to  a 
foreign  power  a people  who,  like  our  revolutionary 
fathers,  are  striving  for  liberty  and  independence.  It 
may  be  called  the  onward  march  of  democratic  ideas, 
but  it  bears  all  the  insignia  of  imperialism  and  what 
that  term  stands  for  in  the  philosophy  of  government 
and  the  history  of  nations.  It  may  be  called  “benevo- 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


275 


lent  assimilation,”  but  it  is  of  the  same  nature  and 
character  as  “criminal  aggression,”  and  no  shuffle  of 
words  can  make  it  otherwise.  It  is  practically  a war 
of  invasion  and  conquest,  such  as  has  been  waged  from 
time  immemorial  under  the  barbarous,  tyrannical 
assumption  that  “might  makes  right.”  It  puts  the 
nation  into  the  same  category  and  reduces  it  to  the 
same  plane  with  the  dynasties  of  the  old  world,  ena- 
bling them  to  say  to  it  in  scornful  derision,  “Aha!  thou 
didst  set  thyself  up  as  vastly  wiser  and  better  than  we 
were,  and  so  our  light  and  our  example ; but  now,  how 
art  thou  fallen  and  become  as  one  of  us  !”  Wise  states- 
men see  this  and  deplore  it,  while  the  demoralized  poli- 
tician, the  devotee  of  brute  force,  and  the  unthinking 
multitude,  drunk  with  the  wine  of  militarism  or  infat- 
uated with  the  lust  for  dominion,  are  oblivious  to  the 
gravity  of  the  situation  and  to  the  direful  consequence 
which  it  assuredly  portends. 

But  there  is  a moral  and  humanitarian  aspect  of  the 
case,  more  serious,  if  possible,  than  the  political.  How 
did  this  war  with  the  Filipinos  come  to  be  ? Two  years 
ago  they  were  our  friends  and  we  were  theirs.  Now  the 
two  are  deadly  enemies.  Two  years  ago  we  solicited 
their  aid  as  allies  in  overcoming  the  forces  of  Spain 
at  Manila  with  the  assurance,  if  not  open  promise, 
that,  if  successful,  they  should  have  their  independence. 
They  gladly  acceded  to  our  request.  Yet  no  sooner 
was  Spain  conquered,  and  conquered  by  their  help, 
than  our  arms  were  turned  against  them,  under  the 
demand  of  absolute  subjection  to  our  authority  to 
which  they  owed  no  allegiance,  with  no  regard  for 
their  inborn  rights,  but  with  scornful  refusal  to  listen 
to  their  repeated  appeals  in  behalf  of  such  rights.  And 
from  that  day  to  this  the  United  States  government 


276 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


has  been  fighting  and  attempting  to  conquer  them  as 
miscalled  rebels  and  insurgents.  The  treatment  of 
them  is  as  gross,  unjustifiable  and  base  an  act  of 
perfidy  as  the  annals  of  nations  records.  Rev.  Mr. 
Chadwick,  of  Brooklyn,  says : “The  colonial  history 
of  Spain  contains  no  such  atrocious  piece  of  treachery 
as  the  Filipinos  have  suffered  at  the  hands  of  this 
country.’’  It  is  to  be  believed  that  they  have  been  sub- 
jected to  more  outrage,  cruelty,  loss  of  blood  and  life 
under  eighteen  months  of  United  States  domination 
in  and  about  Manila  than  under  eighteen  years  of 
Spanish  misrule ; to  the  nation’s  lasting  dishonor  and 
unutterable  shame. 

Such  being  the  case,  both  Patriotism  and  the  cause  of 
Peace  enter  a solemn  protest  against  the  whole  pro- 
ceeding, and  demand  an  immediate  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities. They  cry  aloud,  amid  the  impending  gloom 
and  clash  of  resounding  arms,  for  a return  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  justice  and  humanity,  upon  which  the  safety, 
prosperity  and  glory  of  the  Republic  rests,  and  in  which 
lies  th?  hope  of  the  downtrodden  and  oppressed  of  all 
lands  and  climes  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

Unfortunate,  however,  and  deplorable  as  is  the  con- 
dition into  which  our  beloved  country  has  been  brought 
at  this  period  of  her  history,  and  forbidding  as  is  the 
outlook  in  many  directions,  yet  may  we  not  despair. 
A way  out  of  the  encompassing  darkness  will,  in  the 
good  providence  of  God,  be  opened,  and  new  light  will 
in  due  time,  I doubt  not,  illumine  the  pathway  of  the 
Republic  and  gladden  all  our  hearts.  “The  wrath  of 
man  shall  praise  Him,  and  the  remainder  of  wrath 
will  Pie  restrain.”  Recovering  from  this  fearful  lapse 
towards  barbarism  and  escaping  the  perils  incident 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


277 


thereto;  instructed  it  may  be  and  purified  by  the  expe- 
rience and  invested  with  new  power  of  accomplish- 
ment, the  nation  will  go  forward  more  rapidly  than 
before  to  the  attainment  of  that  destiny  which  I can 
but  believe  is  her  inalienable  birthright — a destiny 
worthy' of  her  origin,  of  her  lofty  ideals,  of  her  history, 
of  her  opportunities  and  of  her  possibilities ; sublime 
in  itself  and  unspeakably  beneficent  for  mankind.  A 
destiny  it  is,  as  I contemplate  it,  of  universal  liberty, 
not  of  license;  of  justice  to  all  men,  not  of  oppression 
and  outrage  to  any ; of  noble  ideas,  not  of  barbarous 
maxims  and  immoral  sophistries;  of  healthful  growth 
and  normal  development  of  resources  and  character, 
not  of  foreign  invasions  and  enforced  annexations ; of 
peace  and  good  will,  and  not  of  war.  A destiny  of 
lifting  up  fallen  races,  of  educating  benighted  tribes, 
of  regenerating  sinful  peoples,  of  leading  other  nations 
and  the  world  in  the  grand  march  of  humanity  to  its 
divinely  ordained,  ultimate  estate  of  universal  liberty, 
righteousness,  brotherhood,  harmony  and  happiness. 
In  the  faith  and  hope  that  such  is  the  transcendently 
glorious  mission  of  this  country  of  ours  in  the  years 
to  come,  the  part  she  is  to  hereafter  play  in  the  great 
drama  of  human  existence  upon  the  earth,  we  can  most 
sincerely  salute  her  in  the  inspiring  verse  of  the  elder 
President  Dwight,  of  Yale  College: 


‘Columbia,  Columbia,  to  glory  arise, 

Thou  queen  of  the  world  and  child  of  the  skies ! 
Thy  genius  commands  thee : with  rapture  behold. 
While  ages  on  ages  thy  splendors  unfold. 

Thy  reign  is  the  last  and  noblest  of  time, 

Most  fruitful  thy  soil,  most  inviting  thy  clime ; 

Let  the  crimes  of  the  East  ne’er  encrimson  thy  name, 
Be  freedom  and  Virtue  and  knowledge  thy  fame. 


278 


CHRISTIAN  NON-RESISTANCE 


“To  conquest  and  slaughter  let  Europe  aspire. 

Whelm  nations  in  blood  and  wrap  cities  in  fire  ; 

Thy  heroes  the  rights  of  mankind  shall  defend, 

And  triumph  shall  crown  them  and  glory  attend. 

A world  is  thy  realm ; for  a world  be  thy  laws 
Enlarged  as  thine  empire  and  just  as  thy  cause; 

On  freedom’s  broad  basis  that  empire  shall  rise, 

Extend  with  the  years  and  dissolve  with  the  skies. 

“Thy  fleets  to  all  regions  thy  power  shall  display, 

The  nations  admire  thee  and  ocean  obey; 

Each  shore  to  thy  glory  shall  tribute  unfold, 

And  the  East  and  the  South  yield  their  spices  and  gold. 
As  the  dayspring  unbounded  thy  splendor  shall  flow, 
And  earth’s  smaller  kingdoms  before  thee  shall  bow, 
While  the  ensigns  of  union,  in  triumph  unfurled, 

Hush  the  tumult  of  war  and  bring  peace  to  the  world.” 


Date  Doe 


J 

170  31S30 


123503 


